


Beyond the Vortex

by chains_archivist



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Alternate Universe, Boys in Chains, M/M, Slaves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-07
Updated: 2015-04-07
Packaged: 2018-03-21 17:44:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 60,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3701125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chains_archivist/pseuds/chains_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>by Cerulean Blue </p><p>This is an Alternative Universe Story. Mulder is sucked into an alternate universe, where Krycek and Skinner alternates give him a hard time. In this chapter Mulder and Scully are called to Sedona to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a young man.<br/>Warnings: SLASH. This story contains sexual interaction between two men, turn back now, if the subject matter offends you. **NONCONSENSUAL SEX!!!!** This is a fantasy along the lines of Anne Rice's Beauty series, but please don't read this if the subject offends you!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Dusk, the archivist: this work was originally archived at [Boys in Chains](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Boys_in_Chains), which opened in 2000 as a multifandom archive for both fiction and art, but then sadly went offline in 2005. To bring the archive back, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in December 2014. Open Doors [posted an announcement](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/1832) and e-mailed all creators about the move, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this author, please [contact the Open Doors committee](http://transformativeworks.org/contact/open%20doors).  
> \--  
> Disclaimer: The X-Files characters are the property of Chris Carter, 1013 productions and Fox Broadcasting.  
> Summary: This is an Alternative Universe Story. Mulder is sucked into an alternate universe, where Krycek and Skinner alternates give him a hard time. In this chapter Mulder and Scully are called to Sedona to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a young man.  
> Author's Notes: This may or may not be a continuing series.  
> I would like to thank Jo B., Di Ann, Peta Caldwell, Xanthe, Kiyoko and Laurie for all their help and plot suggestions.  
> This story was greatly inspired by Peta Caldwelll's "Holding Out for a Hero," Anna's ["A Little Lost Fox,"](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3701099) Jo B.'s "Life From the Ashes," and Di Ann's "Painful X-periences" series. History of Sedona courtesy of "Ultimate Arizona."  
> Constructive feedback is always welcome. This is my first attempt at slash, so please pull your punches.  
> WARNING! SLASH. This story contains sexual interaction between two men, turn back now, if the subject matter offends you. **NONCONSENSUAL SEX!!!!** This is a fantasy along the lines of Anne Rice's Beauty series, but please don't read this if the subject offends you! le}

The sun was setting in the Arizona sky. Brillant hues of red, gold and orange provided a vibrant background for the jumbled yet striking red rock mountains. Mulder kicked aimlessly at some pebbles at his feet and looked helplessly at Scully, who was leaning up against their rented Alamo car, a stern expression on her face.   
  
"So, Mulder? What is the real reason for the sudden excursion to Sedona? You know we're supposed to be attending that conference."   
  
"I got a call from the Sedona police department this afternoon. Jackson Thomas was last seen 36 hours ago. He was out at dawn, training for his next track meet, he's a cross-country runner at Arizona State. One Gregory Hicks, a delivery man in town, was driving along Route 179 when he reportedly saw Jackson being tossed around by heavy winds. The irony of the situation is that while Hicks had no problem in his truck, Jackson looked like he was fighting and struggling to stay on his feet. Hicks got out of the truck and shouted to Jackson, and then the young man simply disappeared."   
  
"Disappeared?" Scully looked skeptical as usual.   
  
"Yep, disappeared. Vanished. Hicks got on his cellphone and got the local police out here and there was a massive search of the entire area, but no Jackson."   
  
"What about Hicks? Has he been in for questioning?"   
  
"Scully, he's been interrogated, tested for drugs and alcohol, the whole nine yards. He swears by his story. He's well-known in town, a family man. He doesn't fit the profile of a criminal."   
  
Scully sighed.  Another weird case from Fox Mulder. People disappearing in the middle of windstorms, she needed a Tylenol.   
  
"Well, let's get to town and talk to this Hicks," was all she said.   
  
 **7:05 PM**    
 **Sedona Police Station**    
  
At the Sedona police station, the agents were greeted by a gangly older man who introduced himself as the Sheriff. He promptly ushered them into his office. He seemed pleased to see them, not the usual reception that greeted them when they arrived to investigate X-files cases in small towns such as this.   
  
"Agents Mulder, Scully. I'm glad I was able to get in touch with you, I've heard that this sort of case is right up your alley. We sure could use some help with this one."   
  
"Sheriff Parker, what do you know about what happened?" Mulder asked.   
  
"Well, I know Jackson was a happy, outgoing young man, very popular at school and came from a good family. There's no reason for him to disappear like this. His mother is an art teacher at the local college, she named him after Jackson Pollack, the painter."   
  
"Is this the first time such an incident has occurred? I don't recall reading about any other mysterious disappearances in the region."   
  
"No, you're right, Mr. Mulder, beyond the occasional AWOL teenager or unlucky soul whose car breaks down in the desert, we've never had anything like this. At least not since I've been Sheriff, and that's going on twenty years." Sheriff Parker responded.   
  
He peered at the agents. "Agents, how much do you know about Sedona?"   
  
Mulder looked at Scully. She pursed her lips and didn't meet his gaze. Mulder spoke. "Sedona has a pretty mystical history. As I recall, the Southern Sinagua Indians used to worship here. Today Sedona is populated mainly by the New Age community who believe that vortices exist here. I've heard them described as anything from focal points in the earth's 'natural energy grid' to coming from energy seeping out of fissures in the earth, electrical and magnetic forces, yin/yang energy, ancient Indian beliefs, etc., etc. Many of our reported UFO sightings come from the Sedona area as well."   
  
Scully looked up. "I believe Melissa used to come here a lot."   
  
She looked at Mulder. "She claimed that all that red rock gave her a sense of peace, like she was at the center of the universe," she smiled sadly.   
  
The Sheriff cleared his throat. "There are a lot of New Age ideas about the mysticism of the place. I used to dismiss it all as hogwash, but who knows." He sighed. "The older you get, agents, the less willing you are to dismiss the incredible."   
  
He started shuffling through some papers on his desk. "Anyway, the reason I bring it up, is that Jackson disappeared right at the point of one of the so-called Vortices Agent Mulder was talking about. Here's a map of the area. The Bell Rock Vortex, which is also a popular spot, Mr. Mulder, for UFO watchers, is just off Route 179 south of Sedona near the Village of Oak Creek. That's the exact point where Jackson was last seen."   
  
Scully and Mulder looked at each other, aghast. A local law enforcer claiming that someone was sucked up by a vortex? For Mulder, Sheriff Parker's willingness to believe was wonderful, for Scully it was just plain bizarre.   
  
"Sheriff, you mean to tell me that you believe this so-called Bell Rock Vortex is the reason a college student disappeared without a trace? That's absurd!" Scully exclaimed.   
  
"Now hold on, young lady, I'm not saying it's the whole reason!" Sheriff Parker huffed. "I'm just saying that you have to consider all possibilities. We don't know everything about all natural phenomena, now do we? You'll find in Sedona it helps to keep an open mind."   
  
The Sheriff turned to a file cabinet behind him. Scully took the opportunity to roll her eyes at Mulder while he grinned happily at her. Sheriff Parker took a file out of the top drawer and tossed it onto his desk.   
  
"Here is Jackson Thomas' file. It includes Gregory Hicks's testimony, along with photos, documentation on where Jackson was last seen the day of the windstorm and so on. Take it and look it over. I assume you'd like to talk to Hicks?" Sheriff Parker asked soberly.   
  
"We very much want to talk to Mr. Hicks, thank you, Sheriff." Mulder responded.   
  
"Well, that's why I just called him to come down here. He's got some late deliveries to make, and he'll be here in about twenty minutes. Take the file and go across the hall, make yourselves comfortable. Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you."   
  
Once they were settled in the office, Mulder opened the file Sheriff Parker had given him. Gregory Hicks' testimony simply reiterated what he knew already about what had happened to Jackson. He looked at the pictures of Jackson. A blonde, happy-go-lucky college student beamed out at him.   
  
"Here he is, Scully, your typical All-American jock. Not one you'd expect to disappear on a whim. Poor kid was in the wrong place at the wrong time."   
  
Scully peered at the picture. "He's a good-looking boy."   
  
"Yeah, one would wonder if foul play was involved. We'll see what Mr. Hicks has to say."   
  
Immersed in the file, Mulder brooded about the situation. How could a windstorm occur in what was essentially a desert region? Why in just that particular place and time? The whole thing made no sense. He resolved to get copies of all local weather reports at the exact time of Jackson's disappearance.   
  
The case brought up some disturbing memories. Whenever a young person disappeared under mysterious circumstances, Mulder couldn't help but think of Sam. He resolved to do whatever he could to get to the bottom of it.   
  
It wasn't long before the agents were joined by the said Gregory Hicks. He apologized to them for making them wait and displayed the same calm, friendly air that Sheriff Parker had.   
  
"Mr. Mulder, I don't know what else there is to say. Everything that happened is right there in that report. I knew, er, know, Jackson, and he's not a kid to pull any weird stunts. "   
  
"Just tell me in your own words what you saw, Mr. Hicks."   
  
"Well, I was driving along Rt. 179 when I saw Jackson up ahead on the side of the road. I used to see him out there running, near Bell Rock, he claimed he liked the 'vibrations' it gave off, used to improve his chances of winning."   
  
"Sounds like you were pretty well-acquainted with the victim." Mulder interjected.   
  
Hicks gave him a sideways glance. "No, not well-acquainted, Mr. Mulder," he responded dryly. "Sedona's a small town. We're a lot friendlier than you folks in the big city, all the New Age wackiness aside. Besides, my daughter went to school with Jackson."   
  
"I didn't mean to insinuate anything, Mr. Hicks. It's just that any personal information about Jackson would help us greatly, but I'm sure you know that. Please continue." Mulder responded, looking up from the pad where he was taking notes   
  
"Well, I was driving along when I saw him way up in the distance. However, he looked really strange, as if he was fighting to stay on his feet. Like he was being knocked around, but there wasn't anyone else there. He was turning and twisting so much, he looked like a blur.   
  
I pulled over and stopped the truck. When I got out, I shouted to him, but he didn't seem to even hear me. I started running towards him, and then what happened next, Mr. Mulder, Ms. Scully, it was the damnedest thing!   
  
Jackson disappeared! He just disappeared, like I said in that report. I know you both must think I'm crazy, but that's what I saw, and that's what happened!" Hicks exclaimed, with an anguished expression on his face.   
  
The two agents exchanged glances. Scully spoke. "Mr. Hicks, is it possible that the wind, or whatever it was, distorted your vision? Do you ever wear glasses? Is it possible that Jackson hid amongst the rock."   
  
"With all due respect, Ms. Scully, that's not what happened. And no, I don't wear glasses. But the strangest thing, what I didn't quite mention in the report, was how he disappeared.   
  
It was like Jackson was just,  sucked up, into a hole! Only there wasn't any hole there, but his head disappeared, then his shoulders, the rest of his bodyÖthis wind, or force, just gathered him up, like he was entering a hole or cave, only there wasn't anything there! I just don't know how else to describe it! I tried to help him, I did! Ió" Hicks choked, obviously distressed by the boy's disappearance.   
  
The air in the room was electric with tension. Mulder looked at Scully, who also seemed distressed. "Mr. Hicks," Mulder said, "I'm sure you did all you could. Please don't berate yourself. We'll do what we can to find him, but you musn't think he disappeared through any fault of your own."   
  
Mulder paused. "We don't know what we're dealing with here, but you can be sure we're going to find out."   
    
Hicks nodded and gratefully took the cup of water Mulder handed him. He shuddered before he drank, visibly shaken by his bizarre experience. However, he was gratified to know that Mulder didn't consider him a suspect in Jackson's disappearance.   
  
After they saw Hicks out, Scully turned to Mulder with a pensive expression on her face. "You were very reassuring to Hicks just now. Do you really have any ideas? I don't know where to start with this one, Mulder."   
  
"Where we start is at Bell Rock, tomorrow morning. Hicks put down the coordinates of the spot where Jackson disappeared as best he could. I think we need to be there, at the exact time and place, to try to recreate the scene. It was 47 hours from tomorrow morning, 6:AM, that Jackson vanished."   
    
Scully frowned. "So we're going to investigate the so-called Bell Rock Vortex?"   
  
"Yep, Scully, we're investigating the so-called Bell Rock Vortex."   
  
 **5:55 AM**    
 **Bell Rock, Arizona**    
  
Mulder pulled up to Bell Rock. He turned and looked at Scully. She wasn't her customarily energetic self, it looked as if she'd been up for hours during the night. The entire trip from the motel had been spent in silence.   
  
"Rough night, Scully?" he asked sympathetically.   
  
"You said it." she grumbled. "There was some creature yelping outside my window."   
  
"I think they're called coyotes," Mulder responded dryly. "How does a city girl like yourself get woken up by a mere coyote?"   
  
"Oh, Mulder, I know it was a coyote. It woke me up, and then I just couldn't get back to sleep, thinking about that poor kid. His parents must be sick. I called Sheriff Parker before we left, and they're expecting us later today. Do you have any ideas at all of what could have caused him to vanish like that?" Scully asked.   
  
"No, that's why we're here." Mulder told her, as he opened his door to the car.   
  
"Well, all I can say is that it certainly doesn't sound like anything I'm familiar with. I mean, if it was a funnel cloud, why, Hicks would have seen it. Those monsters are miles high! And it wouldn't have happened like he described it, Jackson's body would have been picked up and twirled --" she paused, "and, and, flung -- far maybe, but not so far a manhunt of the area wouldn't have recovered it!"   
  
"Scully, I've already checked the meteorological reports. There's been no tornado. I think the good citizens of Sedona would've noticed that." Mulder responded.   
  
"Then I guess you've got yourself another X-file! 'Cause as far as I'm concerned, there's no explanation!" Scully sighed.   
  
"Look, neither of us are weather experts. Let's just look around the area where the guy disappeared, and see if we can come up with anything." Mulder asserted.   
  
Scully got out of the car and slammed the door loudly. Mulder looked at her with raised eyebrows. "I hope  that Kersh doesn't find out about this," she said. "We're supposed to be in Phoenix attending that forensics conference. If he does, I'd love to be a fly on the wall of his office when you try to explain it to him!"   
  
"Well, get moving, Fly, before you get swatted!" Mulder groused. Any mention of Kersh or his current boss's opposition to them working on the X-files was enough to put him in a foul mood.   
  
The sun had already risen and was casting a hazy sheen on the many red rock mountains. Bell Rock loomed ominously before them. The air was completely still, and except for the occasional crow's caw, there was hardly any sound.   
  
Mulder checked the map and the sketched coordinates from Gregory Hicks. The spot where Jackson had disappeared was approximately 10 meters from where they were standing.   
  
"Scully, this spot is exactly where Hicks was standing when Jackson vanished. Stay here, and I'll go up ahead and try to see if I can find anything," Mulder said, squinting into the distance.   
  
"Okay, Mulder," Scully nodded. "Good luck."   
  
Mulder ran up ahead to Bell Rock. He looked up the northward side of the mountain, shielding his eyes from the morning sun. There was nothing out of the ordinary at first. It was a beautiful mountain, but not distinguishable from the other mountains around them, except perhaps in its size.   
  
Then Mulder noticed something strange a few feet in front of him. In the still desert air, there was movement, barely discernible at first, but definitely swishing around, as if there were several breezes going on at once. As he moved closer, the currents of air picked up speed, until there was churning movement directly in front of him. Mulder felt the wind whip rapidly through his hair and clothes. However, the air surrounding him still remained motionless.   
  
"Scully!" Mulder turned back to where she was standing and shouted. "Come look at this!"   
  
All of a sudden Mulder felt the air around him whip into a frenzy. His body started to spin, and he desperately flailed his limbs around trying to stabilize himself and grab something, anything, to stop the movement. He gulped air rapidly, feeling violent pressure all around him, and then to his horror felt himself being knocked off his feet. Everything around him went black as he was lifted right up into the air.   
  
Scully screamed. Mulder had vanished, just as Hicks had described. One minute he was calling to her, and then the next minute he had disappeared, bit by bit, as if he were sucked up into a hole.  Panic-stricken, she ran to where he had been standing and waved her arms around frantically as if she were trying to catch air. The scene was peaceful, with no signs of Mulder anywhere. The map and papers he had been holding had fallen to the ground several feet from where she was standing.   
  
Overhead two crows cawed to each other in the morning sun.   
  
 **8:55 AM**    
  
The first thing that Mulder became aware of as he regained consciousness was that he was lying on the ground of a forest. He heard the sounds of birds tweeting, and he looked around to see thick vines of plants and trees all around him. His head was spinning, but he was dimly aware that the setting was quite different from what it was supposed to be.   
  
"Where the hell am I?" he muttered to himself. "Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Arizona anymore!"   
  
He sat up. His whole body ached. He felt like he had fallen down an elevator shaft. What had happened to him? One minute he was investigating a crime scene, the next minute he was being whirled away like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.   
  
"The house began to twitch, the room, to pitch," he groaned as he stood up. "This is too bizarre, even for an X-file. Where am I? Where the hell is Scully?"   
  
All of sudden he heard noises in the brush. He got up in time to see someone in shorts and a T-shirt running towards him at full speed. Sounds of men shouting followed the runner as he ran smack into Mulder and knocked him back down onto the ground.   
  
"Ooomph!" cried Mulder, clutching the man as he fell on top of him," What the hell is going on?"   
  
"Hide me!" yelled the runner. "They're after me! Come on, we've got to hide!"   
  
The runner was a blonde youth with blue eyes and an athletic build. Mulder was dumbfounded. It was Jackson Thomas!   
  
"Jackson, what are you doing here? Where the hell are we?" Mulder exclaimed.   
  
Within minutes the two of them were surrounded by men with spears and nets. There were at least a dozen of them, and they grabbed both Mulder and Jackson and forced them to their feet.   
  
The leader was a burly man with huge muscular arms. He grabbed Jackson and bound his arms behind him. He turned to Mulder who was struggling to free himself," Now who are you, pretty one? Older but even prettier than blondie. This is our lucky day, boys! We'll make a fortune!"   
  
"Listen buddy, I don't know who the hell you are, but I'm a Federal agent. The boy you're holding is a missing person, so unless you want to be charged with kidnapping and spend the rest of your life behind bars, you'd better let us go!" Mulder fumed. He couldn't believe the nerve of this guy.   
  
The leader grinned at him. "You've got spirit as well. Yes, we'll make a fortune off of you, we will! For your information, gorgeous, we're slave traders, and as of now you and your young friend here are our prize stock. Lucky we got to you before the beasts of the forest did! It would be a shame for that beauty to be torn to scraps and left for the birds to pick at!" The leader stroked his cheek delightedly.   
  
With a cry of rage Mulder threw himself at the leader, but the men restrained him. He tried to fight but there were too many of them, and they held him fast as he threw himself about, thwarting his attempts at escape. Without too much effort, they bound his wrists, just as they had with Jackson.   
  
Feeling around Mulder's body, they discovered his guns, and quickly removed them. The leader leered at him," What sort of instruments are these? We'll have to show these to the wizard."   
  
After that they prodded the two captives with their spears, forcing them along the forest trail. Mulder's blood was boiling but he still had no idea where he was or what was going on. It all seemed like some elaborate sick joke, and it wouldn't be the first time persons unknown toyed with him for their own amusement.   
  
He looked over at Jackson. The boy looked exhausted and thin, as if he'd spent the last couple of days trying to outrun their captors. Other than that, he didn't look the worse for wear.   
  
"Jackson, what happened to you? I'm Fox Mulder, and I'm an FBI agent. My partner and I were called to Sedona by the sheriff to investigate your disappearance. How did we get here?" Mulder asked as they were marched along.   
  
"Damned if I know." Jackson responded miserably. "All I know is one minute I was out training for my track meet this Saturday, and the next minute I wake up here. These jerks think I'm slave material, what a laugh! I've been trying to avoid them for the last two days, but it's been tough. When I ran into you, I was trying to find the spot where I first came to after I arrived here. It's so confusing with all the trees and overgrowth that I couldn't remember where it was.   
  
Agent Mulder, have you seen my mother? I hope she's not too crazy. She's an emotional type, an artist you know? Is she okay?"   
  
Mulder sighed. "I was supposed to talk to them this afternoon. Well, at least you've now got someone else in the same boat with you. Don't worry, I'll get us out of this."   
  
Mulder wished he felt as confident as he sounded. The neanderthals who captured them prodded them along with the blunt end of their spears every time they lagged. The situation did not look good for either of them.   
  
Eventually the forest cleared, and they entered what looked like a small village. People were dressed in animal skins and rags, carrying huge vats of water or grain. Horses pulled rough-hewn wagons, and there were huts with thatched roofs.   
  
All around them people were gawking at them, Mulder in his rumpled Armani suit, and Jackson in his running outfit. Without his guns Mulder felt helpless, but even if he had them, he certainly couldn't shoot their way back home. The whole situation defied human comprehension. He looked around. It was if they had entered some sort of time warp, going back to a different time and place, where people lived in huts and subsisted as hunter-gatherers. However, it was the mention of the wizard that had him totally perplexed. Perhaps it was some village shaman who ruled with the usual bogus magic.   
  
They were marched to a stone structure on the periphery of the village. The leader turned to the men holding them. "Secure them in here. We'll have the auction tomorrow morning. Inform all the interested parties that two male slaves will be on the block, good stock." He smirked at his hapless prisoners and left them.   
  
Mulder and Jackson were both marched into the stone prison. Cells with chains dangling from the walls and ceilings lined the corridor. Torches on the walls spread bright light in the dank, miserable place. Mulder wished that they would free his hands, he would love to be able to grab one.   
  
A tall man with red hair motioned for the men to put Jackson in one cell, where he was chained to the floor.  He then ordered them to put Mulder in the next cell. "Hey, you can't separate us!" Mulder protested. "He's just a kid, he's scared to death! Come on!"   
  
The red-haired guard laughed. "Stranger, I don't know where you're from or who you are, but you seem to assume you have many rights here. Either you are hard of hearing or daft, but as the master said, you're to be sold as slaves tomorrow. Whether you're lucky enough to be bought by the same master remains to be seen. In the meantime, you do as you're told, or suffer the consequences."   
  
Mulder growled in anger and lunged at the man, fully intending to choke him to death. The men forced him down onto the floor, while the red-haired guard laughed loudly. "You won't stop fighting, will you, my boy? Woe to the owner who underestimates you! I anticipate some rough times ahead, pretty one, unless you learn to obey."   
  
He turned to men holding Mulder. "Strip him and chain him," he commanded grimly.   
  
The guards freed his hands only to start pulling off his clothes. Mulder fought them but again it was useless. All too soon he was stripped down to his boxers, and he stood shaking in rage.   
  
"Aren't you guys being a bit pushy," he queried through gritted teeth," I mean, we only just met!"   
  
The guards gazed at him with rapt expressions. Mulder's stomach churned, but it was the red-haired man who spoke. "You're very beautiful. A real prize. I'm surprised that the master wants to sell you at all and not have you grace his own bed. However, I'm sure you will bring in a hefty sum, and perhaps you need a stronger master than he to break you of your will. Whatever his reasons, whoever owns you will be a lucky man indeed." He reached out to tweak Mulder's nipple, uncaring at how Mulder angrily knocked his hand away.   
  
The man turned to the others. "Chain him. I want him standing, he's been a bad boy, and doesn't deserve the reward of comfort. The earlier he's taught his place here, the better off everyone will be."   
  
Despite his struggles, the men quickly chained Mulder's arms over his head to the ceiling and his feet to the floor in a spread-eagled position. The red-haired man then appraised Mulder. "You look lovely in that position, pretty one. However, there is one thing wrong." He suddenly took out a huge knife.   
  
Mulder started in shock. "Don't, please don't," he pleaded against his will.   
  
"Oh don't worry, my pet," grinned the red-haired man. "I'm simply relieving you of this strange garment. Stay still, and you won't do injury to that vital part of you. I'm sure the master will be most displeased if you arrive at the auction block tomorrow morning with scrapes, gouges, and other injuries. Believe me when I tell you this is a very sharp knife." He waved it menacingly.   
  
Mulder held still as the red-haired man cut away his boxers. He was sickened by the heated stares that moved up and down his body as the last of the cotton was torn away, and he stood before them completely naked.   
  
"Very nice. Very nice indeed!" The red-haired man reached down to stroke him but Mulder backed as far away as possible.   
  
"Don't touch me!" he practically spat in his rage.   
  
"I don't believe you're in any position to protest." the red-haired man sneered coldly. "However, there is one thing to consider. Dion, give me the rod."   
  
One of the men handed him the red-haired man a long clear rod. He positioned himself behind Mulder and inserted the end of it into his rectum.   
  
"Wh-what the hell are you doing?" Mulder exclaimed in shock. The rod suddenly went cold. Unbeknownst to him it glowed blue, showing them that he had never engaged in anal sex and was therefore a virgin.   
  
"So I thought! From your actions, it was not that hard to tell," muttered the man, sounding disappointed. "Well, that will up your price considerably. Andreas will be a wealthy man. You're safe from us for now, sweetheart, but don't provoke us any further! You don't want to anger me or any of the others, I'm warning you." With that the man suddenly withdrew the rod, eliciting a startled gasp from Mulder.   
  
The men then abruptly left the cell, leaving Mulder to his own dark and angry thoughts.   
  
 **6:PM**    
 **Ondolee Slave Prison**    
  
Mulder had been dozing on his feet when he was awakened by the sound of someone whispering his name.   
  
"Psssttt! Agent Mulder!" Jackson Thomas called to him from the other cell. There was a small hole that allowed him to see the agent, as the chain was longer and allowed him greater freedom of movement than Mulder.   
  
"Whaa? Jackson?" Mulder reluctantly bestirred himself. He was extremely sorry to see that he was still in the same predicament, stripped naked and chained in a stone cell. He shivered in the cold air and shook his arms as well as he could, they were stiff as hell and numb from being forced into such an awkward position for so long.   
  
"Are you okay, Agent Mulder? They didn't do anything to you, did they?" Jackson asked worriedly.   
  
"No, I'm okay. I'd like to bust some butt right now, though, Jackson, I'll tell you that much." Mulder smiled feebly. He was determined not to worry the young man, even though the situation was extremely grave. "How you feeling, huh?"   
  
"Scared shitless. Some guard came in and gave me some bread and cheese. I was so hungry I was about to start digesting my insides. He," Jackson paused nervously, as Mulder waited tensely. "He didn't touch me though."   
  
Mulder exhaled with relief. "That's good. Look, Jackson, I know it's hard, but it's going to be important for us to keep our cool in this situation. I hope the hell they don't split us up, but if they do, I swear I'll find you. Try not to be too afraid, keep your wits about you, okay kid? Think of,"  Mulder smiled to himself, "think of all the wild stories you'll be able to tell your friends back in Sedona."   
  
Jackson laughed. "They'll say, 'Yeah, and what drug were you on, Thomas!' I get your drift, Agent Mulder."   
  
He sighed. "What a way for me to celebrate my twenty-first birthday!"   
  
Mulder winced. "You said it, Jackson. Look, we'll get you home and you can still have some of that birthday cake, I promise. Either that or order your first whiskey."   
  
Jackson snorted, causing Mulder to smile. He added, "Just don't worry, okay?"   
  
"Okay, Agent Mulder," Jackson responded wearily, "and, thanks."   
  
With that they lapsed into silence, each of them contemplating the odd twist of fate that brought them here. Mulder thought about Samantha again, he couldn't help it, wondering for the umpteenth time what it was like for an eight-year-old to be stolen from her family and taken to a strange and probably terrible place, never to see them again. His heart ached. He had more than a vague notion of what such an experience must have been like right now. He wondered how Scully was reacting, if she was out at Bell Rock with Sheriff Parker, and what she would tell Kersh. His lip curled as he thought of his erstwhile boss. Kersh was probably imploding right now, learning that his albatross of an agent had gone AWOL yet again to investigate an X-file.   
    
Suddenly the door to Mulder's cell swung open, startling him out of his reverie. A handsome, brown-haired younger man entered his cell and gazed at him with obvious heat. Who should it be but Alex Krycek.   
  
"Krycek, you rat-bastard!" he yelled, swinging from his chains. "Are you behind this? If you are, I'll skin you alive.."   
  
"Stranger, I don't know you," Krycek responded, looking bemused.   
  
"You lying son-of-a-bitch! I know you, you're Alex Krycek, double-crossing scum. You killed my father, remember? Is this some sort of sick game you're playing? Let me out of here, when Scully founds out what you did to me, you'll be happy if all she does is blow your brains out!"   
  
Krycek gazed at him with a thoughtful expression on his face. He stared hard at Mulder, not saying one word. Mulder twitched nervously. Krycek's stare was unreadable -- blank, maybe slightly amused. It was impossible to know what the rat-bastard was thinking.   
  
Finally he spoke. "Believe me, stranger, I don't know you at all. HoweverÖ" he reached out suddenly and firmly pinched Mulder's left nipple, causing him to yelp and arch back, "  that does not mean that I don't want to know you. Quite the contrary, sweet one." He laughed evilly and reached out to grip the other nipple, ignoring Mulder's frantic twists to avoid him.   
  
"As a matter of fact," Krycek continued, rolling Mulder's nipples between thumb and forefinger," I've been sent here to examine you."   
  
"Ex-examine me?" Mulder gasped, trying to ignore Krycek's delicious ministrations, sending jolts of pure pleasure straight to his groin.   
  
"I'm here because of my master. He's heard of you, and he sent me here to inspect the merchandise. I'm to report back on your charms but I'm not to tamper with your virginity."   
  
Krycek paused. "I assume you are a virgin?" he asked, smiling.   
  
"That's none of your goddamned business!"   
  
"No matter. I've already spoken with your captors, and they assure me that you are. There are ways of telling, methods of which you are probably completely innocent. At any rate, they've given me leave to play with you as much as I care to, as long as you're ready for bathing and feeding by dawn. See what a powerful man your future master is? No other buyer has these privileges, to play with and try out a slave before the final purchase." Krycek beamed as if Mulder should be thrilled with this news.   
  
Mulder tried to kick out at Krycek, forgetting that his legs were spread and chained to the floor beneath his feet. The chain was taut, all he managed was a flick of his leg, probably perceived by his enemy as a mere shifting on his feet. Indeed, Krycek continued to caress his nipples, not stopping even when Mulder snarled furiously at him.   
  
"Don't touch me, you bastard! I'll kill you, I swear!" he growled with white hot fury, shaking uncontrollably. A cold kernel of fear was slowly making itself known in his mind. Fury alone was not going to save him. Even under the best of circumstances, Krycek was stronger and craftier than he was when it came to physical combat, not to mention that he was facing a two-armed Krycek in this world.. Mulder had long suspected that Krycek submitted to being beaten up by him for an ulterior motive, one that he didn't care to delve into too deeply.   
  
Krycek chuckled lewdly. "Sweet one, are we ever going to have fun with you!"   
  
He then lunged at Mulder and grabbed him firmly around the waist. He kissed Mulder's neck, throat and chest, oblivious to Mulder's protests. He trailed down his chest to his stomach and probed his navel with his tongue, secretly amused at the way Mulder jumped and yelped. Oh, he knew what was next, all right.   
  
Krycek started licking a trail down to his groin. Mulder struggled futilely, reminding Krycek of a great and elegant sea bird caught in a net, desperate for flight at all costs. He firmly grabbed hold of Mulder's testicles to still him, eliciting another furious exclamation from his captive, and then he swallowed him whole. He sucked hard on Mulder's cock, lodging him deep in his throat, and was gratified when Mulder gasped loudly and started to harden in spite of himself. This one is really too responsive, he thought gleefully, enjoying the way Mulder writhed and moaned.   
  
Krycek sucked harder and harder, until he felt Mulder's testicles draw up against his hand. Mulder cried out once and came, gushing down his throat. Krycek kept sucking until Mulder protested loudly. When Krycek relaxed his hold, Mulder quickly managed to extricate himself without scraping against any of Krycek's teeth, amazingly enough, and his persecutor couldn't help but feel impressed.   
  
"You bastard! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Mulder's voice shook.   
  
"Sucking you off. What did it feel like I was doing?" Krycek leered.   
  
"Keep your hands off of me, you son-of-a-bitch. Tell your master to go to hell. Let him find some other poor slob to harass," Mulder exclaimed.   
  
It took a good deal of effort for Krycek to hide his smile. This slave was so full of fire and fight. His master would be endlessly pleased.   
  
"Well, now," he said smugly, pretending to turn away, "My mistake. I guess if you're not on the block, I'll have to go investigate your blonde friend. I've heard he's very pretty, a runner's body. Now, that would be quite a purchase."   
  
"Wait!" Mulder pleaded desperately. "No, leave him alone, he's just a kid. Please!"   
  
Krycek turned back to him. The look that he gave Mulder was evil personified. Mulder's gut sank.   
  
"Stranger, I don't know who you are, but how have you survived in this manner? How have you reached your years by wearing your emotions on your sleeve in such a fashion? Wherever you're from, it may have done, but in Ondolee you'll find it can be quite troublesome." Krycek sneered.  
  
He reached into his pocket and took out a key. Reaching up he unlocked Mulder's wrists and ankles from the restraints. Mulder sank to the floor from exhaustion, his arms stiff and useless by his sides. Pins and needles prickled them as the blood started rushing through them.   
  
Krycek roughly grabbed Mulder's chin and lifted it. "Suck me," he said, his eyes cold as steel.   
  
"No." Mulder answered defiantly.   
  
"Fine, pretty one. I will bring the blonde one into your cell and take him. There'll be nothing you can do, and you'll be forced to watch. That is your choice," Krycek responded harshly.   
  
"You bastard!" Mulder cried out, shaking.   
  
"You're repeating yourself, my friend. Don't stall. Which will it be?" Krycek said coldly.   
  
Weary resignation flooded Mulder's veins. He had been stripped, chained and molested, and standing idly by while Jackson was being raped would be the last straw. He looked up at Krycek with eyes full of hate, but nodded slowly.   
  
There was a glint of triumph in Krycek's eyes as he untied the drawstring of his cloth trousers, letting them fall to the floor. He was already erect. His cock was exceptionally large. It sprouted eagerly out of a forest of downy brown pubic hair. The head was thick and bulged out voluptuously, as if begging to be sucked or fondled.   
  
Mulder gulped nervously. His mind simply could not cope with what he was about to do -- sucking the cock of this man, who was one of his most hated enemies. Yet as Krycek's hand enveloped the back of his head, he found himself leaning forward.   
  
Krycek's touch was surprisingly gentle, as if he conceded that a battle had already been won. Mulder bore down on him hard, sucking him roughly with rapid up-and-down motions, hoping to get it over with quickly. Krycek seemed to enjoy himself, however, and moaned and sighed luxuriously, his hand running through Mulder's hair. The way Mulder choked and gagged seemed merely to excite him further, and it wasn't long before he too cried out and came, gushing into Mulder's mouth. He tightened his hold on the back of Mulder's head, trying to keep him from pulling away, but Mulder shoved him aside. He angrily spat onto the floor of the cell.   
  
"There, you've gotten what you came for, you rat-bastard," Mulder said angrily," Now get the hell out."   
  
Krycek ignored this outburst. He was smiling unpleasantly. Finally he spoke. "Not bad, little one. I can see there's a lot to work with here. The master will be very entertained."   
  
Mulder bristled in rage. "Krycek, if I have to kill you, to keep your hands off me or Jackson, I will. You think you're getting some sort of sex toy for your sick fantasies, but I've killed before and I'll kill again. Don't push me."   
  
Krycek laughed. "My, I do think the gentleman doth protest too much. How do you explain this?" He reached down and grabbed Mulder's half-hard cock.   
  
Mulder yelped and tried to pull away, but Krycek had too firm a grasp. He reddened miserably at the scornful chuckle that followed.   
  
"Seems to me that I'm not the only one having fun here. Turn around and get down on your hands and knees. No, it's not what you think, I've been warned to preserve your virginity. Just do as I say, I still hold the fate of your friend in my hand, so to speak," Krycek warned coldly.   
  
Mulder reluctantly got into the position. He wondered what Krycek was up to, if he wasn't going to rape him. He gasped as he felt Krycek's hands stroking his back.   
  
"Lovely," his nemesis purred," Absolutely lovely. I don't recall ever having beheld such beauty before." His hands traveled down to Mulder's buttocks. Krycek sighed reverently. This slave's bottom was a thing of absolute splendor,  full, taut globes that drew Krycek's hands like a magnet. Krycek kneaded them hungrily, enjoying how Mulder tensed in anger. His was a bottom that seemed to demand that Krycek instantly spread its cheeks and drive his cock home. It amused Krycek that when he pried his buttocks apart, Mulder tightened his sphincter as if he could deny him entrance.   
  
You will open there for me soon enough, Krycek thought smugly. The temptation to deflower the slave was almost overwhelming, but he knew it would be a grave mistake to offend his lord. He was an apprentice to the great and powerful wizard, and such a blatant disregard for his orders would be bound to have dire consequences.   
  
Intoxicated with lust, Krycek took out a small bottle of oil from his pants pocket. He coated his erection with the oil and positioned his cock between Mulder's buttocks. He proceeded to rub himself against Mulder's anus. Reaching around, he grabbed hold of Mulder's now hard cock and pumped it rigorously in time to his own strokes. Mulder panted heavily but made no move to resist his tormentor.   
  
The friction and the sight of his erect cock rubbing between those beautiful buttocks was too much for Krycek to withstand for long, and he came again with a roar, spouting down onto Mulder's rear and lower back. Mulder cried out as he orgasmed as well, coming in great spurts over Krycek's fist.   
  
Mulder collapsed in a heap on the floor. His head was spinning. What had just happened? Did he really have some of the best sex of his life with his enemy? It was too much for him to take in all at once. He was trembling with fatigue and shock. His body gleamed with a sheen of new sweat   
  
"That was spectacular, sweet one!" Krycek exclaimed, panting heavily. "I do think you'll need hardly any training at all! My lord must know of your gifts. I shall return to him at once so I can ensure the purchase come morn. It is unfortunate that you both must be displayed on the block, but my lord is greatly feared in these parts, so if he wants you, he will have you. This auction should be seen as merely a formality. Come tomorrow, my lord will be your master."   
  
"Go to hell," Mulder groaned. Krycek grinned as he stood up and adjusted his trousers. He picked up an ankle cuff with a long chain that was bolted to the wall and locked it onto Mulder's ankle.   
  
He tousled Mulder's hair affectionately. "I must leave you now, sweet one. Until tomorrow then!" With that Krycek swiftly left the cell, locking the door behind him.   
  
Mulder wearily crept over to the corner, where some sandbags and ragged blankets were assembled to create a makeshift bed. He feebly pulled the blankets over himself as best he could and promptly fell asleep.   
  
 **7:AM**    
 **Ondolee Slave Pen**    
  
Mulder and Jackson waited nervously in the slave pen outside the stone stable where they had been kept. They had both suffered through a humiliating bath, cleansed inside and out several times, and been given large bowls of tasteless gruel for breakfast. Mulder had devoured his portion, he had had nothing to eat since he had left Sedona.   
  
Their clothes hadn't been returned to them. The guards had bound their wrists behind them with leather straps. Mulder noticed Jackson's runner's body more than he cared to, the long legs, lean muscles and firm backside, and the surprisingly large cock. His encounter with Krycek had eroticized all he was experiencing, and he was hard pressed not to show it in his current naked state. The tormenting of the guards during the bathing had been humiliating enough.   
  
Bound at all times, they had been afforded little opportunity to escape. Without his clothes and his guns, Mulder was not feeling too confident.   
  
He had been tense and withdrawn. His mind was still in a whirl from his encounter with Krycek several hours ago. He didn't know what to think, it had been Krycek but yet it wasn't Krycek. It was either some nefarious Consortium plot to drive him mad or he really was in an alternate universe, where he'd just been sexually molested by an alternate Krycek. Mulder didn't know which was worse. At least if the Consortium was behind it, he'd still be in his own universe.   
  
Jackson had tried several times to make conversation with him, but Mulder couldn't even rise to the level of weak reassurance. Jackson had given him several strange looks, it was apparent that the young man had heard what had gone on between him and Krycek, but was too wary to broach the subject.   
  
The slaveowner Andreas suddenly came out of the building flanked by several guards. He beamed at the two of them and spoke.   
  
"The two of you are very fortunate! You're our featured attraction today. All we've had are some mining slaves and a female house slave, and they've all been sold already. I've been saving the best for last." He winked at them.   
  
Mulder tensed in anger. Without thinking about the consequences, he bent over and charged the slaver, butting him with his head in his stomach and knocking him onto the ground with a roar. There was a flurry of guards bearing leather restraints and straps who pulled Mulder off a bellowing Andreas. Mulder was immediately gagged and a collar with a leash placed around his neck. The red-haired guard angrily pulled him off to the side as the other guards helped their furious master to his feet.   
  
"Damn you, my boy, you're lucky to be so pretty!" ranted Andreas," I'd have you over my knee right now and give you a whipping you'd never forget, but there isn't any time. Our buyers are all gathered at the block up front, and they're expecting the two of you, so you'd better behave. Clarence, bring them up to the block."   
  
Andreas turned and left the slave pen, motioning for the guards to follow. Mulder and Jackson were marched along after him. Mulder gritted his teeth angrily on the leather bit and tried to resist as Clarence tugged firmly on his lead but it was useless. All his curses came out as muffled gibberish, and the guards paid no attention.   
  
When they reached the front of the building, however, Mulder stopped dead in his tracks. There was an enormous crowd of people, and he could feel his body burn with embarrassment.   
  
Clarence grinned at him. "Quite a turnout, don't you think? Only for the prettiest of our male slaves. I hope you go to a good home, beautiful, where that body will be put to good use.''   
  
"Fuck you!" Mulder exclaimed, but the guard merely heard incoherent muttering.   
  
"Ladies and gentlemen," Andreas shouted, addressing the crowd from the block," We have today two of the finest specimens you'll ever see. Strangers to Ondolee but fair in body and spirit, you can do no better than to have either of these delicious young males warm your bed at night. Not made for physical labor but indeed labor of a different kind. This first one,"  he gestured to Mulder, who tried to hide from the eager gazes as they turned towards him, "  is a virgin with men, pure as the driven snow, my friends. Clarence, bring him up here for the people of Ondolee to see."   
  
Clarence and some other guards half-dragged, half-carried Mulder up the steps of the podium. He then attached Mulder's neck leash to the wood crossbeam of an H-shaped structure that jutted up from the center of the wood deck. Mulder was forced to look out over the crowd. He was shaking with mortification and rage at being so callously bared to the crowd, all of whom devoured him with their eyes. He felt like a steer at a cattle auction.   
  
"Everything about this Adonis is exquisite, ladies and gentlemen. The lithe, beautiful body, the long legs, the," here Andreas turned a furious Mulder around with the help of the guards, "firm, gorgeous backside," he spanked Mulder hard, eliciting a outraged muffled cry, "as well as the other accouterments," he winked at the audience as he turned him back. He suddenly grabbed Mulder between the legs, who cried out and struggled to get away from him. The crowd laughed appreciatively at the sight of the handsome slave writhing helplessly in the grip of the guards, and there were loud hoots and whistles.   
  
"Keep it up, my boy, the bids will be fast and furious with that attitude!" Andreas whispered in Mulder's ear as he rigorously pumped his cock. To his utter humiliation, the stroking gave him an erection in spite of himself. He fumed but tried hard to stay still and maintain what little dignity he could.   
  
Andreas let him go and turned back to the crowd. "As you can see, ladies and gentlemen, a slave with spirit. Where's there's smoke, there's fire, I always say! Now, which one of you will be the one to own and enjoy this lovely creature?"   
  
There was a mass of shouting, and men and women immediately started crowding the block. Mulder shrank back in terror, as the guards gathered around him and tried to soothe him. It was a scene from his worst nightmare, reminding him of one of his favorite B-movies, where a huge mob of experimented-upon beast men cornered and killed their creator. He would take aliens over this any day of the week.   
  
"Silence, silence!" Andreas shouted. "He'll be no good to you if you frighten him to death! Now, one at a time, let the bids begin!"   
  
"Fify dukats," shouted a burly man with blonde hair and a beard, leering at Mulder.   
  
"Sixty," said another.   
  
"Seventy!" countered the burly man.   
  
"Ninety-five dukats!" screamed a middle-aged woman with black hair.   
  
"One hundredó"   
  
"One thousand dukats!" bellowed a strong deep voice, cutting off the other bid. There was murmuring in the crowd, as Andreas grinned appreciatively. Mulder couldn't see who had shouted the bid, as the guards blocked his view, but the voice was eerily familiar.   
  
"My lord, how nice of you to join us! May good fortune brighten all your - "   
  
"Get on with it!" the voice boomed angrily, cutting off Andreas' fawning.   
  
Andreas winced. "Of course. Now then, does anyone counter the last bid?"   
  
"One thousand ten!" someone shouted.   
  
"Five thousand dukats, and I take his blonde companion as well!" the voice boomed.   
  
There was an angry silence. Five thousand dukats was a lot of money for the Ondolee villagers.   
  
"Going once. Going twice!" Andreas shouted. "Sold! Both male slaves to Lord Skinner! Congratulations on such a fine purchase, my lord!"   
  
The blood rushed to Mulder's head as he heard the name. His ex-boss! That voice was Skinner's! How in the world could he not have placed it!   
  
The crowd cleared away from the block. Sure enough, standing in the center were no other than Alex Krycek and his ex-boss Walter Skinner. Skinner looked completely different. Not only was he missing his glasses, but he wore black leather pants, with some sort of harness over his huge and muscular chest. A sword and a dagger were sheathed by his sides.   
  
With one leap Skinner cleared the steps leading up to the block and stood before Mulder. Krycek was right behind him and grinning nastily. He spoke. "Is he not everything I described, my lord?"   
  
"He's that and more, I trust. So, little one, how about warming my bed tonight?" Skinner leered, stroking Mulder's cheek as he gazed at him in shock. "Or why wait that long. What do you think, Alex, should I take him in the cart, as we drive through the streets of Ondolee? So that everyone knows he's been claimed by his true master?"   
  
"Certainly, my lord," Krycek snickered," He'll be most responsive, I can assure you!"   
  
Mulder's eyes rolled upward, as if he were beseeching the heavens for assistance. Suddenly he collapsed, his body dangling from the leash. The two men immediately grabbed and supported him. They looked at each other in consternation.   
  
Special Agent Fox Mulder had just fainted.   
  
 **10:AM**    
 **Skinner's Palace**    
  
Lord Walter Skinner gazed admiringly at the form of his new slave as he lay unconscious on his huge throne-like bed.   
  
He frowned. Skinner was not a patient man. The slave had fainted on him before he could enjoy his gifts, and while it was not completely unexpected, it was still frustrating. Krycek of course had found the whole event hilarious, and resolved to render Mulder senseless in the future for a different reason, but Lord Skinner hadn't gotten a chance to play with Mulder yet and did not like having to wait.   
  
"That boy is getting entirely too spoiled," he growled aloud, referring to Krycek. "To taste this gorgeous creature before me. If he has tampered with his virginity, he'll be very sorry indeed."   
  
Skinner was fascinated by his new purchase. The man had been so thickly gagged that he could only utter the sexiest mewling sounds, but he had stopped the instant he saw Skinner in the crowd of bidders. His lovely hazel eyes had flown wide open in shock. Skinner had seen that expression on men who beheld monsters or creatures risen from the dead. It was very puzzling.   
  
He was tempted to probe his captive's mind. He had just recently perfected the skill of projection, whereby he could visually depict scenes involving another's thoughts and memories on a wall or other flat surface as he read them. It was useful when one wanted to share such information completely, with someone like Krycek for example, whose skill at mindreading was still fairly poor. Krycek had been all for it, but Skinner had hesitated.   
  
He surprised himself. He was not famous for having a strong sense of ethics. However, it was more the desire to preserve the thrill of the unforeseen rather than reluctance at invading the man's privacy. Skinner liked the idea of finding out about his new slave bit by bit, lovingly encouraging him to reveal himself, taking pleasure in and cultivating his talents, as opposed to knowing all at the outset.   
  
Skinner did not completely rule out this mode of figuring out his slave. He just wanted to wait and save it for another day when it would be of greater use. Probably the most beneficial lesson he'd learned as a wizard was that there were times when it was just as wise to refrain from using one's powers as it was to use them. He'd followed this principle for all his years as a wizard and never once had a reason to regret it. Using magic to meddle in the lives of fellow mortals required a deft hand indeed.   
  
On the bed, Mulder stirred and groaned.  His eyes opened, and he stared straight at Skinner, who beamed at him happily. He had changed into a black silk dressing gown for the occasion.   
  
"S-s-sir?" he queried hesitantly. "What happened? What are we doing here?"   
  
"You're in my palace, sweet one," Lord Skinner responded reassuringly. "You fainted after I purchased you on the block. Perhaps the crowd was a little too appreciative for your taste. Did those bastards feed you properly? I'll have their heads if they stinted on your nourishment."   
  
Mulder cried out, surprising Skinner. The unfortunate experience of the slave auction and everything preceding it came rushing back to him.   
  
"Look, it's not what you think," he said in a rush, his teeth chattering in nervousness," I'm not a slave. It's a mistake. I was sent here through a vortex."   
  
"Our Cristalu Vortex," Skinner prompted.   
  
"You know what it is?" Mulder stopped and asked hopefully.   
  
"Of course. It appears when our two moons cross, every other month, at the exact point where they overlap each other. It can also be opened by magic. Very powerful magic." Skinner sat down next to Mulder on the bed.   
  
Without being concerned about Skinner's proximity, Mulder got very excited at finding someone who knew about the vortex. "You mean, someone who practices magic, like a wizard, could open it up again?"   
  
"Of course. It would be very easy." Skinner surreptitiously placed a hand on Mulder's thigh.   
  
"Then we can go home again! All I have to do is find a wizard to open it!" Mulder exclaimed gleefully.   
  
"You're not going anywhere," Skinner responded with a growl. "You belong to me, and the sooner you get used to the idea, the better off you'll be!"   
  
Skinner then reached for Mulder, who yelped and somehow managed to dodge him and scramble to the other side of the bed. He ran for the door, but as he reached it, Skinner used his power to slam it shut and bolt it from the outside.   
  
Skinner lept up from the bed to lunge at Mulder, who dodged him nimbly, knowing he was in trouble if he let this Skinner get his hands on him. Just like his ex-boss, this Skinner possessed a towering girth that spoke volumes of his strength. If Skinner caught him, Mulder was sure he would never be able to break free.   
  
"Wait!" Mulder panted, as Skinner continued to chase him, "I can explain! We're captives, we don't belong here at all, we're from another place, planet Earth, we've got to get home! I'm a Federal agent, that boy is missing, his parents are worried about him!" Mulder unknowingly paused in his movement while Skinner leered at him.   
  
"Are you listening to me!" Mulder exclaimed.   
  
Skinner took the opportunity to grab Mulder and clasp him to his chest in a bear hug. His struggles against the bigger man's chest were futile. He felt like he was being enveloped by a giant grizzly. Suddenly his owner picked him up and flung him over his shoulder.   
  
"Put me down, dammit! I'm not a child!" Mulder cried out. "I'm not a slave, I'm a captive! This is ridiculous! C'mon, Lord Skinner! You can't possibly think we're going to sleep together!"   
  
"Oh, we'll do much more than sleep together, my pretty, I can guarantee you that!" Skinner laughed at the way Mulder yelped and struggled as he casually stroked his behind.   
  
He flung Mulder onto the bed, landing him on his back. Mulder lifted his head and stared up at him. His mouth dropped open in disbelief. It amazed him how much this alternate Skinner looked like his Skinner.   
  
His Skinner. Since when did A.D. Walter Skinner become his Skinner. The thought caused him to blush profusely. He was constantly blushing in this world. He'd probably break out in hives.   
  
"What is it, sweet one?" Lord Skinner coaxed. "There's that look again. Do you want to share it with me?"   
  
"No, i-i-it's just that you look a lot like someone I know from home. My ex-boss, actually." Mulder answered shamefacedly.   
  
"Ex-boss?"   
  
"My employer. I was an FBI agent, Federal Bureau of Intelligence," Mulder responded   
  
Skinner looked blank.   
  
"You know, a law enforcer. He was the Assistant Director," Mulder explained.   
  
"Ah, yes, I see. You helped to enforce the law of your land. A noble profession, the law. I always have had great respect for those who choose to enforce it," Skinner responded, looking amused. He reached out and stroked Mulder's chest, holding him down when he started to squirm in protest. "Now, this Assistant Director Skinner, how is he like me?"   
  
"He just is. He looks exactly like you. And your,"  Mulder glared suddenly," lackey Krycek, looks exactly like a Krycek in my world."   
  
"Not someone you're particularly fond of."   
  
"No, I want to kill him. He's a double-crossing rat, he betrayed me and my partner, and probably caused the deaths of two people close to us."   
  
"I see! Well, we have an interesting situation here! I'll have to tell Krycek of your reasons for reacting so powerfully to his presence in your cell last night. He did find it rather curious," Skinner asserted with an amused tone.   
  
Mulder blushed to the roots of his hair. Thoughts of his encounter with Krycek the previous night had another profound affect on him as well, one that was duly noted by his master in his current naked state.   
  
"Well, well. Seems like murderous thoughts have a pleasing influence on your libido, my pet." Skinner laughed softly. He started stroking Mulder's half-hard cock, eliciting a groan. Coming to himself, Mulder angrily knocked Skinner's hand off his cock. He tried to cover himself with the bedcovers but Skinner grabbed his wrist.   
  
"If you are concerned about your virginity, I can tell you that I know how to be gentle, all appearances to the contrary. However, I also guarantee that you will not maintain that virginity within the hour, or my name isn't Walter Skinner!" Skinner growled, his eyes flashing with lust, as Mulder's heart pounded against his ribs.   
  
Without fanfare he pressed Mulder down on the bed, nuzzling and licking his neck. Mulder tried to push him off, but Skinner's strength and weight held him expertly in place. Skinner traveled down his chest to his nipples, licking in small, hard circles. Mulder writhed and pushed futilely against his chest, Skinner's actions were having the desired effect, even though his mind cringed in embarrassment that this man was the embodiment of his boss.   
  
"Please let me go," he pleaded hopelessly. He was terrified at the prospect of having any kind of sex with Skinner.   
  
"Not a chance," Skinner responded gleefully. He flipped Mulder over onto his stomach, keeping him in place with a knee planted in the small of his back. He then took some cord from his nighttable and quickly bound each wrist to a bedpost. After placing a pillow under Mulder's stomach, Skinner then bound each ankle to a bedpost.   
  
Mulder blinked in amazement. He pulled desperately at his bonds but they held fast. Skinner had bound him so quickly and effortlessly that he barely had time to react. At least, that was what it had felt like. When he heard Skinner chortling behind him, a flash of anger cleared his way to understanding.   
  
"So you are a wizard," he snarled, craning his neck around to glare at him. "How does it feel to use your magic on us helpless humans? Do you realize how unjust this is?"   
  
Skinner laughed in a way that made Mulder's blood turn cold. "Ah, my boy, you've got a lot to learn! What good is magic if you don't use it on helpless mortals? It has nothing to do with justice!"   
  
Skinner looked down at the defenseless nude form of his slave. His lips were practically smacking at the sight. Mulder was as beautiful as Krycek had described, the elegant back, long limbs, large cock and the luscious firm backside were all Skinner could desire. He ran his hands down his back slowly, relishing the way Mulder shuddered at his touch. He stopped at Mulder's buttocks and then possessively splayed out the fingers of his hands, one on each cheek.   
  
He could feel Mulder tighten in apprehension. He started kneading his slave's buttocks, reveling in their suppleness. "You'll do better to relax, my boy. Not to frighten you, but I'm a fair-sized man. Was your ex-boss made so?"   
  
"I never noticed," Mulder responded in a small voice.   
  
Skinner uttered a gruff laugh. "I'm sure that's a lie if ever there was one! No matter, you'll take me, whether you want to or not."   
  
"You son-of-a-bitch!" Mulder howled. "Let me go!"   
  
The sight of his slave struggling in vain, the way his bottom lifted up off the bed against Skinner's hands and swayed as Mulder pulled desperately at his bonds, made Skinner instantly hard. He untied the belt of his dressing gown and let it drop to the floor, revealing his magnificent, sculpted body. When Mulder turned around to look at him, his eyes opened wide in amazement. As his gaze lowered, he gulped in shock at the prodigious erection Skinner sported.   
  
Chuckling at his slave's reaction, Skinner then reached for the bottle of oil that he kept on his nighttable. He applied a generous amount of the oil to the fingers of his right hand. He then placed his free hand firmly on Mulder's lower back to steady him. Pushing against Mulder's sphincter, he inserted his forefinger slowly and carefully. Mulder held his breath at the sudden invasion, tightening up desperately. Skinner slapped his buttock hard with his other hand.   
  
"Relax!" he commanded roughly.   
  
Mulder groaned softly but tried to cooperate. He didn't have any choice. Skinner probed the muscle and massaged it until he felt it loosen. He added a second finger, and then a third, causing Mulder to respond with an "Unnnhhh!" as he continued his process of readying him.   
  
"Skinner, don't do this," Mulder pleaded. "Please! I used to work for your double! Stop this!"   
  
"Did you even consider, luscious one," Skinner snorted, "That if I'm so powerfully attracted to you, then my so-called double is likely to feel the same? That he could work so closely with you and not possess you, is one of life's many mysteries, if he is indeed my alternate, as you say."   
  
Skinner lowered himself behind his victim. "Well, he left you a virgin for me, so if I ever do encounter him, I'll have to thank him for his generosity," he concluded drily.   
  
Skinner spread Mulder's buttocks wide and then slowly pressed the head of his cock into his anus. Mulder gasped in alarm when he felt the larger penetration. As Skinner drove his cock in further, Mulder cried out, his rectal muscles spasming uncontrollably. No matter how slowly Skinner proceeded, the presence inside him felt almost intolerably huge, and Mulder panted deep breaths to force himself to relax and accommodate it.   
  
Skinner reached under Mulder's hips to grab his thighs and force him back onto his cock. However, he still proceeded slowly, centimeter by centimeter, pressing forward into the tight virginal orifice. He pushed forward and retreated, pushed forward and retreated, until he had completely worked his way inside.   
  
"Arrgggghhh!" Mulder exclaimed loudly. Skinner's cock stretched him to the limit. He couldn't believe he hadn't torn or suffered other damage.   
  
Skinner, on the other hand, was in heaven. "Aahhh! You're so delightfully tight, my love!" he exulted, "I could stay here forever."   
  
Mulder was experiencing all sorts of emotions with Skinner inside him. Rage, fear, humiliation and desperation all warred within him. He felt impaled on Skinner's cock, spread wide open and filled to bursting, but when Skinner started to move, the pain was laced with pleasure as well. That was probably the most frightening discovery of all.   
  
Skinner pumped into Mulder's ass slowly, still trying to break his slave in easily. He luxuriated in the sensation of his slave's tight orifice. He'd never felt anything so delicious. Krycek of course had come to him already experienced in the ways of men, but others he had deflowered had never excited him like this. He could barely restrain himself from riding Mulder hard. Maddened with lust, the desire to possess him was all consuming.  He didn't want to injure his slave, however, and he wanted to make the experience last as long as possible.   
  
He aimed his cock directly at Mulder's prostate gland, and struck it again and again. Mulder moaned loudly as waves of almost unbearable pleasure emanated outward from this sensitive place. When Skinner felt under him, Mulder's cock was as hard as a rock. He chuckled softly and gripped his slave's cock hard whenever he felt the need to keep Mulder from coming. It wouldn't do to have his slave reach the pinnacle before him.   
  
Whenever he felt himself near the peak, Skinner would withdraw until he could get himself under control again. After the fourth time he did this, Mulder realized what he was doing, and whimpered miserably. Not only was he being ravished by his ex-boss's double, but he's turning it into a marathon, he thought unhappily. His anus was sorer than anything he'd ever known, and yet the waves of pleasure coursed through his body each time Skinner thrust into him.   
  
Finally Skinner could hold back no longer and started thrusting harder and faster into his slave.  Again and again his groin slapped up against Mulder's ass, until he bellowed, filling him with his essence. He then pumped Mulder's cock roughly. Mulder involuntarily jerked his hips in response and came hard with a wail, an endless release that seemed all the more potent from having been denied him for so long.   
  
Both men collapsed flat against the bed. Skinner turned and lovingly stroked his bound slave's back. Skinner was covered with sweat and had a dreamy self-satisfied expression on his face.   
  
"You are extraordinary, my pet. To think you were a virgin. All that pent-up passion, just waiting for the right man to unleash it. It is a shameful waste to think you've denied yourself this pleasure for so long, we are going to have to make up for it. How wonderful that you fell into my hands. We'll make many hours of beautiful love together."   
  
"That's what you think!" Mulder groaned. His ass was as sore as hell, and he was shaking with exhaustion. The thought of subjecting himself to Skinner's cock on a regular basis was enough to drive him insane. He felt like a huge missile had been shoved up inside him and detonated. He was sure that Skinner had plowed him for hours on end, how had the man been able to keep going like that? It must have been some sort of wizard's trick.   
  
While Mulder felt ruthlessly violated by Skinner, he had experienced incredible pleasure too, which was terribly humiliating for him. He wondered if Skinner had used his powers to force him to enjoy his own rape. Feelings of how helpless he was weighed heavily upon him. He tried to think of ways he could escape. His first thought was that once he was free, he would have to find and free Jackson as well.   
  
His thoughts were interrupted by a loud snore from Skinner. His lord and master was sleeping happily beside him, while he was still naked and bound to the bed.   
  
Mulder sighed. Getting home was not going to be easy.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "To love and be loved is the most important   
> thing in the world, but it is often painful."   
>  Noel Coward

**Skinner's Palace**    
 **3 Hours Later**

Mulder awoke to the feeling of something cold and smooth being rubbed against his shoulder. He started and looked up into Krycek's face, who was sporting a mischievous grin.

"What do you want?" he snarled.

Krycek held up an earthenware jug. "Just thought we should celebrate your arrival, my beauty. I gather my master has taken care of the bothersome detail of your virginity? Not that I wouldn't have wanted to deflower you myself, but my master is not one to be cheated of such an event."

"Krycek, you're just as much of a bastard as your counterpart! You and your master can go to hell, the first chance I get, I'm out of here."

Krycek tsked, tsked. "How ungrateful, my little pet, after we tried so hard to make you feel at home. I suppose it hasn't occurred to you that I haven't had you yet? Last night was just a little prelude, a little taste. I'm looking forward to riding you hard today, which is what you deserve."

Mulder's stomach clenched. He pulled futilely at his restraints, but as usual they wouldn't give. "Untie me, you son-of-a-bitch, at least give me a fair chance."

Skinner stirred suddenly beside him and lifted his head. He yawned and focused his eyes on Krycek. "Yo, boy, you here already? Our slave has barely made his home here, and you're harassing him already? He hasn't eaten yet, and he's sore and stiff, you'll be leaving him alone right now."

Krycek's face was the picture of dismay. "But master ---"   
    
"No buts, you'll be listening to me, you hear?"

Krycek looked downcast. "Yes, master." He got up from the bed but looked at Mulder with fire in his eyes. He pursed his lips in a kiss at Mulder and then licked them slowly and lasciviously, causing Mulder to turn away in disgust.

"I'll be seeing you later," Krycek promised in a menacing tone as he left the chamber.

Mulder glared at his retreating back. Once he had left, he angrily turned back to Skinner. "So I suppose that sleazebag has dibs on raping me too?"

Skinner lifted an eyebrow. "Rape? Is that what I did? Do men from your world moan and writhe with such abandon and come so powerfully when they're raped?"

Mulder angrily brushed off this outrageous observation. "Don't change the subject. Well?"

Skinner reached out and brushed Mulder's hair back from his face. When Mulder jerked away, he sighed. "Yes, I'm afraid so. He's my apprentice, and a good wizard, and what's mine is his, so to speak."

He laughed at Mulder's look of utter dismay. "Oh, don't worry, I intend to take full responsibility for your training, which will happen very carefully. I'm a kind master, unless ñ" his expression darkened, "you anger me. Then I will most assuredly punish you."

Mulder swallowed. "Look," he began, in a tremulous voice, "you've got to let us go! We need to get back through the vortex before it closes. You're not going to get anything from us, you're just going to give yourself a lot of trouble for nothing! You'd do better to help us get home." He didn't think it would have any effect on Skinner and was surprised to see him listening with an intent expression on his face.

Skinner spoke. "What is your name anyway, sweet one?"

Mulder gulped. "Fox Mulder."

"Fox, what a lovely name, and how well it describes you. Listen to me, Fox, you haven't inquired about your young companion who was purchased with you. Am I to believe that you don't care at all about what happens to him?"

"That's ridiculous," Mulder snapped. "Of course I care."

"Enough to protect him from our attentions?"

Mulder immediately comprehended what Skinner was driving at but hoped he was wrong. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just what I said. Do you care enough about him to protect him from our attentions?"

"I hardly know him!" Mulder blustered.

"Well, then, you won't mind if I bring him to my bed. He really is quite lovely, there's something about blondes..."

"No! Don't! Leave him alone!" Mulder couldn't help protesting. He just couldn't imagine that smiling blonde jock subjected to the attentions of these two ravening wolves. He couldn't live with his conscience if he let that happen.

Skinner looked triumphant. "Of course, sweet Fox. Not unless you give me reason to bother him! Generally my tastes run to the more mature, darker men, but I've been known to dabble with the fairer and younger of our sex as well."

His expression grew stern. "So you'll be giving us no trouble, will you, my boy?"

There was a silence. Mulder nodded twice, with a heavy heart. His desire to protect Jackson was keeping him hamstrung, unable to escape or defy his captors. Then again, maybe it was not keeping him hostage completely. Mulder swore to himself that he wouldn't escape without Jackson, but that he would pretend to play along with whatever Skinner had planned for them until he saw his chance. He wondered how well he would be able to stick to his goal.

Skinner beamed happily. "That's good, Fox! Any resistance on your part would be useless anyway. Don't forget I'm a wizard. Now come, let us eat, and I will discuss your duties."

After donning his robe, Skinner walked over to the corner of his bedchamber and tugged on a long bellpull. He stood against the wall and smiled at Fox, who tried not to meet his gaze. Soon after that there was a knock at the door, and Skinner opened it to let in a wizened old servant. The man took in the room at a glance, maintaining a blank expression even when his eyes passed over Mulder, still naked and bound to the bed.

"Edward, please prepare our lunch, and tell Master Krycek that we will be meeting him in the dining room in a half hour. This is Fox, my latest acquisition. Fox, this is Edward, a most loyal servant."

Mulder acknowledged the servant with a slight nod. Edward's impassive face broke into a wide and lecherous grin, causing Mulder to shudder inwardly.

"My lord, he sure is a fine one, he is! He's a lovely one and good strong stock too! He'll be a good one for playing those games of yours, you mark my words! Lots of fun you'll be having with that one!"

Mulder choked. "Games?"

Skinner chuckled. "Nothing to worry about, dear Fox. Nothing to worry your pretty head about, at least for now. You do like to tease the pretty ones, don't you Edward?"

Edward guffawed. "Yep, my lord, whatever you say! He don't know, do he? The better to surprise you, my pretty one, the better to surprise you!"

"What the hell is he talking about?" Mulder shouted angrily at the top of his lungs.

There was a shocked silence. "Fox, you will not talk to me in that fashion. Edward, I do think Fox needs to be fed, he's in a rather disgruntled mood from the demands placed on him so far."

Edward looked stunned. "My lord, you're not going to..."

"As I said, Edward, I think we need food on the table, and quickly."

Edward opened his mouth to say something else but shut it quick at one blazing look from Skinner. "Yes, my lord," he murmured resignedly, shuffling out the door.

Skinner turned angrily to Mulder. "You will not, I repeat, you will not, talk to me in that fashion, especially in front of a servant!" he thundered. "Do you understand?"

Mulder struggled for calm. "He mentioned games, I wanted to know what he was talking about! What did he mean?"

"It's not time for you to know yet, Fox," Skinner responded coldly. "It is my decision when to tell you. Now, I'll say it again, you will never again address me in that tone of voice. Do I make myself clear?"

Skinner looked positively thunderous. Mulder was furious, but he was finding it hard to challenge the wizard when he was stripped naked and bound to the man's bed, not to mention having been thoroughly fucked by him.

Lord Skinner certainly bore far more than a passing resemblance to A.D. Skinner right now. Mulder was too embarrassed to dwell on this uncomfortable comparison, so he nodded curtly, just to get past the tension. He would make his plans soon enough.

Skinner looked only mildly appeased. "That's not much of an apology. I need to discipline you, I can see that. I should punish you for that outburst, but right now I want you to eat." He waved his hand once and the restraints fell off Mulder's wrists and ankles.

Mulder rubbed his wrists, scowling. "Pretty handy magic. Were you born with these particular talents or did you learn them?"

Skinner tweaked his nose. "That's for me to know, my pretty, and you never to find out! Come, I've decided to be generous and let you wear this garment for now. In the future, any clothing of yours will have to be earned." He held up a black garment.

Mulder nearly exploded in rage. "I will not wear that...that...that thing! How dare you? You call that clothing? Why bother!"

"Good question. I'd rather be able to look at your beautiful body in its entirety, but I was trying to be generous. You don't have to wear it, you know!" Skinner grinned, shaking the garment. It was a black triangular piece of cloth with ribbons dangling from it. It was obvious to Mulder that it was the equivalent of a thong, and he was damned if he was going to wear it.

"Give me some decent clothes!" he snarled angrily.

"Little one, the clothes that you were found in were ripped to shreds. The same goes for your friend. As slaves, this is considered decent attire, our weather here is quite warm, you won't freeze. I love gazing upon your beautiful body, so it doesn't matter to me at all if you don't want to wear anything. However, I'd think you'd appreciate the little protection this offers, yours is a body that would drive anyone crazy with desire," Skinner responded gravely but with dancing eyes, "I can't guarantee your protection if you insist on going about Ondolee in all your naked glory!"

"You son-of-a-bitch!" Mulder raged, his face purple. He controlled himself with an effort and then attempted to snatch the thong. Skinner swiftly moved it out of his reach. "Give it to me!" he growled.

 "I want to put it on you," Skinner replied calmly. "And do try to control that temper of yours. You're just going to make things harder on yourself."

Mulder gritted his teeth in rage as Skinner positioned himself behind him. Skinner covered his genitals with the black triangle and ran the string up through his buttocks, where he tied it securely to the other two ribbons on adjoining sides of the thong. The ribbon tickled conspicuously against Mulder's anus.

"There now, a nice big bow, just like the lovely present you are!" Skinner chortled.  "A present to myself, which I intend to thoroughly enjoy! Come my pet, it's time for us to dine."

Skinner then grabbed Mulder's arm and guided him forcefully out of his bed chamber. They entered a long cavernous hall and proceeded down an enormous winding staircase. Mulder looked around him, trying to memorize details of Skinner's palace using his eidetic memory, hoping for a chance at finding his way out sometime soon.

Once downstairs, they passed what appeared to be an huge kitchen, from the loud clanging and clattering going on inside and the sundry delicious smells emanating from the room. A figure was bent down scrubbing the floor just inside the doorway, and all of a sudden Mulder heard himself being hailed.

"Agent Mulder!" exclaimed the scrubber. "It's you! Thank God you're okay, I wasn't sure what happened to you!"

Mulder blinked in surprise. It was Jackson Thomas, dressed in the same outfit that Skinner had forced on Mulder.

"Jackson! How are they treating you?"

"They're making me scrub the floor, Agent Mulder," Jackson responded cheerily. "Other than that, not as bad as I'd thought. I really feared the worst when we were brought here, and I didn't know what happened to you after you fainted on the slave block."

Mulder blushed. He didn't feel the need to fill Jackson in on his own predicament.

He gazed down at the boy. Jackson looked none the worse for wear, and his lithe body looked exceptionally gorgeous exposed in the skimpy thong, it seemed to complement him. Mulder had to practically shake himself to overpower the feelings of arousal that immediately sprang to life. Come on, Mulder, he told himself, this is a college student! Down, boy!

This was neither the time or place for such lustful thoughts. He blamed his captors and wondered for the second time if Skinner had cast some sort of spell on him. He whirled to face an amused Skinner, who seemed to be aware of his attraction to Jackson.

"Fetching, isn't he? Of course, he doesn't compare to you, my dearest. However, you'll get your turn at him, if you behave yourself."

"Dammit!" Mulder scowled. "Give him some clothes! He's just a boy, for god's sake. And what is he doing scrubbing your floors?"

"He's scrubbing my floors because of our promise to you, sweet one. I have plenty of other tasks for him that are better suited, but I mean to show you that I'm a man who keeps my word. Are you telling me that this work is unsuitable? Would you rather I find him other more delicious tasks to occupy his time?" Skinner leered. "I have no desire to keep that beautiful thing washing my kitchen floor and performing other undesirable chores, but it was my impression that you wanted him kept out of my bed. He's a slave, my boy, I can't very well have him sitting around all day chewing sweetmeats."

Mulder bit back his angry words. Skinner's speech was a very unsubtle reminder of his and Jackson's position here. Much as he hated to see Jackson forced to do such menial work, it was still better than having him raped by their captors.

"At least give him something better to wear!" he retorted angrily.

"Oh, I don't think so. The least you could do, Fox, is allow us the pleasure of gazing upon that lovely body. I enjoy it and..." Skinner gazed at him through lowered eyelids, "I get the impression that you also enjoy it."

Mulder's cheeks burned. He muttered something in reply and turned away. It wouldn't do for Skinner to be able to read him so well, but he needed to figure out the extent of the wizard's power in order to try to prevent it. With this knowledge, perhaps he would be able to figure out a means of escape and returning back to Sedona.

There was a strained silence which Skinner finally broke. "Come, Fox, there's no point in quibbling over these minor points. Let us eat, and we can discuss your duties."

Skinner then forcefully took Mulder's arm and with his other arm around Mulder's waist, half-dragged, half-carried him off into the dining hall, barely allowing Mulder time to reassure Jackson that he would be back to see him as soon as he was able.

Jackson gazed after them openmouthed and with glazed eyes. He had been unduly impressed by Mulder's appearance as well, a fact that was completely lost on the unfortunate agent.

As they entered the dining hall, Krycek was already seated at the long table. He was gnawing on a meat bone. He gazed hungrily at Mulder as soon as he saw him, giving Mulder the impression that Krycek would rather be devouring him.

"Well, boy," Skinner greeted him gruffly, "I see you made it down here. How goes the holding spell you've been working on?"

"Very good, sir," Krycek beamed. "I was able to freeze a scurrying mouse in mid-motion. The effect of the spell lasted up to two minutes."

Skinner was pleased. "Excellent! So long already? You'll be able to freeze an army of invading soldiers in no time at all. I see I made a good decision in taking you on."

Krycek smirked at Mulder, who glared back at him. "Thank you, my lord. And how is our sweet one faring? I regretted not being able to join you in your festivities this morning."

"You didn't join in our festivities because you weren't invited," Skinner snapped. "I took his virginity, as you very well know, and that is a delicate thing. I suppose it's been so long since you've lost yours, Alex, you don't recall the wherewithal of it."

"Oh I recall it all right, every second. I'll fill you in on the details some time. It wasn't the earth-shattering experience that it would have been with you, my lord, but it was a memorable experience nonetheless," Krycek responded with a wide grin. He was perfectly serious. After having been taken by Skinner as soon as he'd been apprenticed to him, Krycek doubted another man could even come close to what Skinner made him feel. The only other possibility would be the new slave, but Krycek didn't intend to be on the bottom of that arrangementif he could help it, that is.

Skinner's stern expression broke into a bright smile. "Flattery will get you everywhere, you scamp. Edward, bring out those dishes, this slave needs to be fed! Well, in answer to your question, Alex, he's a stubborn one," Skinner continued, as if Mulder wasn't even there, "I don't think it will be easy training him, but that's part of the fun, isn't it? It's been awhile since I've had to break in such a wild stallion!"

Mulder sputtered in shock. "You're talking about me like I'm some damn horse or house pet! The two of you are insane if you think I'm going to put up with this!"

In answer to Mulder's exclamation, Skinner grabbed the back of his neck and thrust Mulder's face towards his. Mulder's yelp was smothered by a deep, penetrating kiss. Skinner's tongue explored every centimeter of his mouth. When he finally released his captive, Mulder gasped for breath, his head spinning. Krycek burst into laughter again, the new slave was really too delightful.

"You were saying?" Skinner asked drily.

Mulder was beyond speech. As he tried to regain his composure, Edward silently placed the rest of the luncheon dishes on the rough wood table. There were bowls filled with vegetable and meat stews and platters of greens he couldn't identify.

The food was spiced in an unfamiliar way as well, but it still tasted delicious. He was starving, so he ate and ate.

While they were eating, Skinner saw fit to fill Mulder in on his duties.

"Now, Fox, about your role as slave in my household," he announced, his mouth full from chewing on a meat bone, "There are certain rules that I expect you to abide by.

The first rule is: You must always make yourself available for either me or Master Krycek should we desire to make love to you.

The second rule is: Under no circumstances are you to resist us should we desire to make love to you.

The third rule is: You must display that gorgeous body of yours at all times, in the costume I chose for you, or naked, whichever I or Master Krycek so desire. If you try to cover or clothe yourself with other garments, you shall be punished.

The fourth rule is: You are not to venture outside this palace without me or Master Krycek, or in rare circumstances, someone else who has been assigned to go with you.

The fifth rule is: In your spare time, if you have any, you will practice ways to entice us, new ways to stimulate us in our lovemaking. If you need assistance with such a task, I or Master Krycek will be only too happy to provide it for you.

The sixth rule is: You are not to lie with anyone besides myself or Master Krycek, unless it is our express desire that you should do so. In that situation, you must obey our wishes without hesitation.

The seventh rule is: Under no circumstances are you to behave in the uncivilized manner in which you did this morning. You will not address either of us in a belligerent tone. If you do so, you will be punished.

The eighth rule is: You must under no circumstances attempt to escape. You will be severely punished for any escape attempts at all.

Do I make myself clear, Fox?"

Mulder had long ago stopped eating and was staring at Skinner in shock. He couldn't believe the gall of the man. Skinner gazed back at him unperturbed, totally confident in his authority. Mulder looked over at Krycek, who had his head down, grinning into his bowl as he ate.

"Is that all?" Mulder retorted sarcastically.

"Well, that's all for now. I'm sure I will think of something else that I've missed. Just make sure you listen well and obey, Fox. You won't enjoy the consequences if you don't," Skinner responded, his eyes glittering darkly.

At Mulder's downcast look, he added, "In time you won't even remember there are rules to follow, my love, that's how much you'll enjoy being here to attend us and having us worship the ground you walk on!"

Mulder couldn't believe it. Wizard or no, Lord Skinner was definitely rowing with one oar in the water. He'd better make those escape plans and make them fast.

The rest of the meal passed in silence. However, as Mulder was finishing his fourth serving of stew and greens, he looked over to see Skinner and Krycek gazing at him with amused expressions.

"You certainly are a man of many appetites, Fox," Skinner leered. "I do think he's trying to throw us off his scent, Alex, don't you think?"

"I agree, my lord, I did accuse him last night of being a gentleman who doth protest too much. What a pretty name, Fox, you're sly like the fox as well! You certainly didn't act like any frightened virgin I've ever met!"

Mulder had had it. Without any thought of Jackson or the consequences, he stood up and took his half-finished bowl of stew and threw it against the wall.

He turned angrily to his unwanted hosts. "Damn you both to hell! I'm leaving here with Jackson right now, and if you so much as think of following me, you'll regret it!"   
    
He turned to leave when he felt a big hand seize him by the back of his neck. "Oh really? You're not going anywhere, boy, and neither is your friend. I am really at wit's end with your behavior. I do think he's in need of a little discipline, don't you, Master Krycek?" Skinner growled.

Krycek licked his lips in anticipation and gleefully agreed. He loved it when his employer got angry, he was a real warrior. He couldn't wait to see him punish Mulder, he hoped he'd get his chance at him too. The slave's superior attitude was starting to grate on his nerves. He'd learn soon enough that luscious slaves like himself should be seen, felt, and most definitely fucked, but not heard.

Mulder shoved back against Skinner with all his might, trying to push him off his feet. Skinner oomphed and then picked up Mulder from behind, arms wrapped tightly around his sides. Mulder squeaked in surprise to suddenly find himself dangling in midair, legs waving helplessly.

He yelped when Skinner started stroking his buttocks. "I won't scar you, my pretty, but I plan to punish you so you won't easily forget! Alex, hand me my paddle."

"Of course, my lord!" Krycek was only too happy to oblige, smirking when Mulder snarled angrily at him.

Skinner sat himself back down on the dining hall chair with Mulder over his lap. Mulder was in a frenzy of movement, writhing, snarling, kicking. Skinner easily held him in place, but it would be quite an exertion for him to perform this much-needed act of discipline with such a hellcat on his lap.

"Restraints, Alex!" Skinner exclaimed, both of them grinning at how Mulder blew up even more at this request. Krycek handed him the restraints quickly. He was impatient to see his master get down to business.

Skinner used his wizard's magic to bind Mulder's wrists and ankles. Even with the leather straps binding him, Mulder was still a handful. Well, it was to be expected. The slave would learn, and learn he shall, thought Skinner, no matter how beautiful he is.

"Fox Mulder, you are about to experience the first correction of your behavior," Skinner announced. He spoke in a firm, loud voice, causing Mulder to still temporarily in his movement.

"You will not behave in an uncivilized manner to your masters. You will not speak in a rude and belligerent tone of voice to your masters. Did you forget that rule already?"

"Screw you!" Mulder responded furiously.

Both Skinner and Krycek laughed loudly at this response. "No, my dear," Skinner countered with false regret, "I'm afraid it's you who's going to be screwed!"

Skinner raised the paddle. "I wanted to go easy on you since it's your first time, but still you try to provoke me. Well, you shall pay the price for this unpleasant behavior. Fifty strokes, no less!"

The paddle crashed down on Mulder's ass. He let out a yell. Skinner was strong, and he wasn't holding back one whit as he smacked his slave's ass again and then again.

"Owwwww! Stop! OOOOWWWW! Don't!" Mulder couldn't help yelling. The whole situation struck him as ludicrous, being struck on the ass by his ex-boss's double like a schoolboy while his enemy's double stood by watching lustfully. He struggled desperately, trying to move his ass out of the direction of Skinner's paddle.

Skinner laughed delightedly as Mulder moved over his lap. Mulder's attempts to avoid him were not only useless but were coaxing his burgeoning erection to swell to its full size. He decided to make chains appear from the floor and connect to the bindings around Mulder's wrists and ankles, holding him even more firmly in place on his lap.

As he swatted him, he noted that Mulder's gorgeous backside was so firm the paddle practically bounced off his buttocks. He loved the way the cheeks reddened as he struck them. Before long they were a deep rosy color, he didn't think they could look even more enticing than they did, but it was happening. He loved how Mulder's movements got more and more frantic as he swatted him and increased the strength of his strokes. Both he and Krycek exclaimed in lustful appreciation when Mulder started involuntarily clenching and unclenching his buttock muscles with each blow.

"Oh my! That's it, my beauty! How lovely!" Skinner growled lecherously as Mulder tightened and moved his ass. Mulder snarled furiously but all his attempts to loosen his bonds were futile.

The spanking went on and on. His ass was on fire, each smack resonating throughout his entire body.

By the time Skinner had ceased, Mulder's backside was a deep, flaming red. Mulder had given up struggling and hung limply over Skinner's lap. When Skinner touched him, however, he started with a yelp, feebly trying to get away from him.

"There, there," Skinner responded soothingly to Mulder's everlasting fury, "No more spanking for today. Such a lovely ass, it's a shame I had to punish it, but I'm glad I did. What a gorgeous color! Come, Fox, let us all retire to my bedchamber."

"What?!!! Are you crazy???" Mulder turned his head to stare at them in shock and disbelief.

"It's your own fault, Fox," Krycek chuckled. "The way you moved your ass just now, provoking the hell out of us. Provoking Lord Skinner into reddening it. If you don't welcome our attentions, stop waving your gorgeous ass around like that!"

White hot rage coursed through Mulder's soul. "You rat-bastard! Wait 'til I get my hands on you!!" he gasped, desperately trying to free himself.

"Now Fox, you know I won't allow that. Come on, Alex, stop tormenting him. Fox, I've finished with your lesson for today, don't tempt me into giving you another one," Skinner sighed. This slave was really a challenge, he thought, but my goodness, what a delicious challenge.

He clapped his hands once and suddenly the walls of Skinner's bedchamber appeared around them. Mulder's bonds loosened, and he stood up to try to escape only to be pounced on by Krycek. Skinner joined him, and the two men grabbed his arms, easily dragging a still sore but furious Mulder backwards over Skinner's bed. They bound Mulder on his back to Skinner's four-poster bed with new restraints. Each wrist was bound to a post at the head of the bed, and then they bent his legs back over his head, ignoring his struggles and protests as they bound each ankle to the upper part of the posts at the head of the bed.

Krycek and Skinner stood over him, their eyes fiery with desire. Mulder pulled desperately at the leather straps imprisoning him. There was no give as usual.

Mulder's backside felt like it was burning up. He couldn't imagine sex with either of them, it would hurt, even more than this morning with Skinner.

He decided to try to reason with them. "Look, this is really getting old. My ass really hurts. Can't we wait until it feels less like an inferno?" he gulped.

"That adds to pleasure, my dear," Skinner countered lustfully. "You'll see."

He turned to Krycek. "I believe it's your turn, you rascal. Go on and take him, you deserve it for bringing him to my attention!"

Krycek loosened the drawstring of his pants and stripped them off, along with his top. He was already very erect and impatiently coated himself with the oil Skinner handed him.

He waved his hand over Mulder and the thong untied before their eyes and fell away, leaving Mulder completely open and exposed. Krycek's heart leaped with anticipation. He noticed that Mulder had no erection yet while admiring his cock. Well, that'll soon change, Krycek thought to himself.

He positioned himself on the bed in front of Mulder. He then grabbed Mulder's buttocks and spread them, exposing his anus even further. Mulder cried out at the pain this caused him, it felt even worse than someone slapping your back after a brutal sunburn.

Krycek suddenly leaned over and ran his tongue over Mulder's anus. The effect was electric.

"Holy shit! No!" Mulder yelled. He spasmed with each lick, the pleasure was too intense, and deeply mortifying.

"Nice, isn't it, sweet one? Pleasures that you never thought existed. There's much for you to learn, and soon," Skinner beamed, pleased with his slave's responsiveness.

Krycek lifted his head and poised himself over Mulder's prone body. He grabbed his cock and positioned the head up close to Mulder's anus. With one fell swoop, Kryceck thrust himself deep into Mulder's body. Mulder yelped in pain, not just from the rough penetration but from the way that Krycek proceeded to grip his buttocks hard. Krycek grinned evilly and started kneading Mulder's buttocks while he was deeply embedded in him, causing Mulder to shriek and involuntarily tighten and undulate his rectal muscles around Krycek's cock.

"UNNHHH!" Krycek cried out deliriously at the way Mulder's ass clenched and milked his cock. The sensation was ferociously transporting. He continued to squeeze the slave's buttocks to provoke this delicious reaction while thrusting into him, ignoring Mulder's pleas for him to stop. Krycek then looked up to meet Skinner's intense gaze.

"How does he feel, my dear?" Skinner asked in a voice hoarse with lust.

"Incredible. Terrific. Like nothing I've ever known," Krycek gasped. He was heady with lust and power over this beautiful man.

Mulder cried out again and again, when Krycek picked up his pace, slapping his groin against his sore backside. He prayed that this nightmare would be over as soon as possible. His anus was still sore from his bout with Skinner.

Suddenly the thrusts inside were no longer as painful as Krycek cleverly aimed his cock straight at Mulder's prostate gland, awakening his fire. Mulder started to grow hard. Oh no, he thought miserably, not again.

He moaned loudly and then jumped when he felt Skinner's mouth on his cock. "No, no, please, stop!" he pleaded desperately.

Skinner ignored him and continued to suck him hard as Krycek thrust into him. It was a devastating mixture of pleasure and pain. The moist heat and powerful suction of Skinner's mouth proved to be Mulder's undoing, and it wasn't long before he climaxed against his will, shooting helplessly into Skinner's mouth.

As he came, his rectal muscles tightened hard around Krycek's cock, causing Krycek to cry out and erupt, jetting his warmth deep within the slave. His orgasm was a continual flood, going on for what seemed like an eternity.

Finally Krycek collapsed against Mulder, bending his legs way back over his shoulders. With one hand released his legs from the bedposts, letting them flop listlessly down onto the bed. He then pulled out of Mulder and lay on top of him, panting heavily.

"Incredible." Krycek moaned in Mulder's ear as he lay on top of him. "That was simply incredible, my pet. I see you're going to be a constant source of amusement."

Skinner impatiently stripped himself of his robe. His erection was huge, causing Mulder to gulp nervously. He was about to protest, when Skinner preempted him.

"You're sore, I know, my love. I don't want to cause you extreme pain, contrary to your expectations, I'm not a needlessly cruel man. Here, this should alleviate some of your discomfort."

Skinner took a small clay container of salve out of the pocket of his robe and asked Mulder to spread his legs. When Mulder refused, Skinner used his power to force him to lift and spread his legs in a facsimile of the position he had been bound in.

"You are truly a stubborn one, Fox Mulder," Skinner grumbled, as he applied the ointment, "I told you this would help!"

He inserted his finger and applied the salve deep inside Mulder. Mulder held the position, feeling as miserably violated as ever, his limbs frozen in place. Krycek lay to his side, idly stroking Mulder's chest, his face betraying nothing of what he was feeling.

When Skinner finished applying the salve, he gestured once and the pull on Mulder's leg muscles that kept them frozen in place vanished. Mulder dropped his legs to the bed and pulled at his bonds, foolishly wondering if they'd loosened.

He didn't feel anything at first. Then suddenly he felt a jolt of warmth. The warmth soothed the soreness immeasurably, but in the next moment it was joined by a sensation of unbelievable craving.

He gasped aloud, and Krycek couldn't suppress a snort of laughter.

"Unnhh! Skinner, what the hell did you do to me, you bastard?" Mulder moaned, frantically moving his hips.

"I want you to enjoy this, my love! Eventually I shall tire of these bonds, and I want you to know that I shall have you with or without them," Skinner beamed, proud of the success of the magical salve.

Skinner caused Mulder's bonds to fall away and instructed Krycek to put his arms around Mulder. Krycek then turned over with a struggling, writhing Mulder on top of him, feebly trying to push away from him. Skinner caught Mulder's wrists as he pushed at Krycek's shoulders and refastened them to the bedposts.

Mulder was beyond speech. The craving sensation evoked by the ointment was making a beeline straight to his cock, causing him to harden immediately.

"I hope you appreciate this, sweet one! It's not many men I take into my body, but for you, luscious, I make an exception," Krycek murmured, as he guided Mulder's cock into his anus. The feeling of Mulder entering him was bliss, but Krycek wasn't one who would admit that too easily.

"Let me go! Damn both of you! Stop doing this to me!" Mulder struggled, pulling futilely on his restraints. When Krycek pulled Mulder's cock into himself, however, Mulder responded with a loud "UGHHH!!!", the tight orifice only adding fuel to the conflagration already awakened by the salve. Krycek responded by giving him a soothing, passionate kiss.

Skinner positioned himself over Mulder, balancing himself with a brawny arm on one side, and guided his cock inside. Instead of hurting, the feeling of Skinner's huge cock inside of him drove Mulder wild. As Skinner started driving into him, Krycek lifted his hips to meet Mulder's subsequent thrusts. Mulder for his part started thrusting back onto Skinner's cock and then thrust forward into Krycek, meeting their own movements match for match.

Mulder felt like an out-of-control rutting bull. He was beyond all reason. However, a very small part of him remained aware of the situation and was deeply horrified at his lack of control.

He was trapped between the two hard bodies of his captors, and the sensations were absolutely incredible as the two men made love to him. Skinner moaned and gasped his pleasure, swirling his tongue in hard, hot, and wet circles on Mulder's back. He ran his hands down Mulder's sides and buttocks, and stroked his testicles, as Krycek in turn pinched and kneaded Mulder's nipples. The burning of Mulder's buttocks as Skinner rode him only heightened the exquisite sensations.

They went at it for what seemed like hours, until Mulder couldn't take it any longer. He yelled once and exploded into Krycek, filling him to the brim. In response to the willingless contractions of Mulder's orgasm, Skinner himself came with a roar, pulsing deep within Mulder. Mulder's body then surged down hard onto Krycek's cock as Skinner bore down on him, causing Krycek to cry out and spurt wildly between their pressed bodies as he reached his own orgasm.

The three men lay still for several seconds, sweating and panting, seeming more like perpetrators of a brutal wrestling match than a lovemaking session. Finally Skinner pulled out of Mulder and beamed down at him.

"You are truly amazing, sweet one. Every time I think I've figured you out, you continue to surprise me. That was so incredible, it only gets better and better with you! If this is your means to kill me and gain your freedom, what a way to go!"

Mulder was too weary and beaten down to respond. He despised and feared both men, he didn't see anything of his ex-boss in Lord Skinner, and Krycek seemed even more ruthless than his counterpart. However, he refused to give into despair and resolved to escape at the first opportunity.

He jumped as Skinner leaned over and trailed his tongue down the side of his neck. "Forget it, my love, there's no escape. You can't get back through the Cristalu Vortex without our help, and we most assuredly won't let you leave. The sooner you accept your new life here, the easier it'll be for you."

Mulder went cold with dread. Either Skinner had an amazing sense of intuition, or he had just read Mulder's thoughts.   
  


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "To love and be loved is the most important thing in the world, but it is often painful."   
>  -Noel Coward, "Design for Living"

**Skinner's Palace**    
 **3 Days later**

Mulder woke up with a start. Bright sunlight was streaming through the bedchamber window. His watch had been taken from him so he had no idea what time it was, but his guess was that it was late morning.

He groaned and sat up stiffly. There was no sign of either Skinner or Krycek, which was surprising, but he knew better than to think that he'd been left entirely on his own. Yesterday morning he had thought that and nearly walked into a brick wall erected by Skinner blocking the bedchamber door when he'd opened it, more evidence of the power of Skinner's magic. The windows wouldn't open either, nor would the glass break when he hauled a chair over and threw it at them.

Skinner had been quite angry at these actions. He had been perfectly aware of the latest escape attempt, for he was approaching the room with Krycek when Mulder threw the chair at the windows. It had bounced uselessly off the glass when Skinner entered the room.

"Fox, are you trying to break the windows and get out?" Skinner had queried with a stern expression.

"No, I'm doing this as part of my morning workout. Of course I'm trying to escape!" Mulder had retorted angrily. "You think I want to stay here and be mercilessly screwed to death? You can't keep me here, I'll find a way to get out eventually!"

Krycek had looked at Skinner and tried to hide his smile, with an expression that said "things are going to get interesting again!" It had looked as if Lord Skinner was having obvious difficulty controlling his temper.

"My sweet, I will never let you escape. Your home is here with me. I bought you on the block, I paid with good gold, I've claimed you, you belong to me. You would be mine whether I had to buy you from those rogues or not!!! If I have to tag you with a slave collar, or keep you chained to the bed, I will!" Skinner had ranted. He had been very angry with Mulder, especially when he had mentally calculated the distance from his window to the ground below.

Suddenly he had grabbed Mulder by forearm. "The eighth rule, Fox, have you forgotten that too?"

Mulder had tried unsuccessfully to shake him off. "How about the Golden Rule, which is hands off the FBI agent?" This show of bravado had belied his sudden apprehension at the sight of Lord Skinner's fury.

Unfortunately  his  wisecrack had  been the last straw for Skinner, who had uttered an angry growl, and grabbing Mulder around the waist with his other arm, had dragged  him  bodily  over to a straight-backed chair in middle of the room. Skinner had then sunk back down into the chair, landing with Mulder strategically  positioned  across his lap.

"The eighth rule, my pet: You must under no circumstances  attempt to escape. You will be severely punished for any escape attempts at all. Does that  ring a bell, my love?" Skinner had snarled angrily.

Mulder had decided to try to reason with Skinner. "Couldn't  we just forget this little incident ever happened? The window isn't broken, must be some sort of Lexan equivalentÖOOOOWWWW!"

Skinner's hand had come crashing down on Mulder's ass, which was already sore from his previous punishment. Again and again Skinner had spanked him, causing Mulder to squirm frantically in a useless attempt to avoid him. Skinner had put all his strength into the slaps, and it wasn't long before Mulder had been unable tell the difference  between his captor's hand and a thick, solid wood paddle.

His ass had never hurt so much, it felt like it was on fire. He had pleaded desperately for Skinner to stop, ignoring Krycek's snickering, he had been beyond shame. The spanking had gone on and on.

Finally Skinner had stopped. "There, my love. Perhaps you will think twice before you make these foolish attempts at escape again."

Mulder's ass was still so sore from the spanking that he didn't know when he'd ever be able to sit down. Skinner had refused to soothe the pain for him afterwards, preferring to keep him that way as a lasting reminder of his disobedience.

He sighed loudly. After three days of almost constant lovemaking, there wasn't a single part of his body that didn't feel like it had been poked, prodded or stroked incessantly. The obsessive attentions of the two men had nearly driven him insane, there was no escape from their feverish groping. However, they never failed to arouse him, a fact that sent him plummeting into a pit of shame and embarrassment.

After Skinner had revealed his ability to read Mulder's thoughts, he used that skill openly. He managed to whip Mulder into a frenzy of passion by anticipating  his needs  before  Mulder even realized them himself. It was beyond humiliation. He had never felt so helpless, so unable to control his body's responses.

Edward showed up periodically  with the meals. He made no effort to hide his grin as Krycek ushered him into the room. Mulder was invariably  nude, and Skinner refused to allow him to cover himself, so he'd lie on the bed tense and angry until the leering servant left the bedchamber, after depositing  whichever meal it was on the small table by Skinner's bed. The whole situation sickened Mulder, but there was nothing he could do about it.

After a brief interlude in which the men devoured whatever food had been brought, they returned to bed, Mulder helplessly dragged back into it by his two captors. Every time he moaned that he couldn't take any more, both Skinner and Krycek would just laugh at him and set to work stimulating  his body once again. Mulder couldn't believe his own stamina, as he was brought to climax again and again.

Sleep also came at intervals, regardless of whether it was day or night. Usually Mulder would be practically fucked into unconsciousness, as he experienced one orgasm too many for his exhausted body to take. Luckily both men would let him sleep unmolested, he seriously doubted he'd survive if they didn't. He was sure both Skinner and Krycek slept, they had toÖbut he never witnessed it, as he probably was out cold more frequently than either of them.

It's just one of me and two of them, he thought sullenly. He hadn't even seen Skinner and Krycek focus on each other --- at least, not while he was awake. Perhaps they didn't really need to sleep, if they chose not to, they were wizards after all. Who knew what kind of magic those two practiced? Or maybe they weren't even human!

Mulder shuddered at the possibilities. His poor depleted body couldn't stand the thought of being at the mercy of two sex-crazed wizards who didn't need to sleep. Well, he'd just have to see what happened and try to piece together a coherent escape plan. He didn't have much choice, anyway.

He thought again about Lord Skinner's uncanny resemblance to A.D. Skinner. The similarity between the two men was beyond belief. It was also bringing to the surface many emotions that he'd always had where A.D. Skinner was concerned.

His feelings for the man had been complicated, to say the least. He always seemed to Mulder to be one of the few men of integrity employed by the venerable Federal Bureau of Intelligence. He had stuck his neck out to protect Mulder more times than he could count, and Mulder had felt a compelling loyalty in return. The times when he had fallen short of Mulder's expectations had been crushing, but it always seemed to Mulder that any dubious actions on the A.D.'s part had gone against his grain, his core morality, that his actions had been controlled or directed by forces (read Consortium) beyond his control.

Mulder had been devastated when the A.D. had had him committed for his suspicions of Pincus, and then again when he had supported having him and Scully thrown off the X-files. However, it was only weeks later that the A.D. had helped Scully find him during that disastrous venture into the Bermuda Triangle, when he'd been trapped aboard the Queen Anne ghost ship. It had given Mulder great comfort to awaken in the hospital with not only Scully and the Lone Gunmen at his bedside but the gruff A.D. as well, telling Mulder that he'd better get better soon, so he could "kick his ass" for getting into that mess. The memory made Mulder blush.

He heaved a sigh. He'd thought he'd had his fill of alternate realities after that miserable endeavor, but apparently not.

When the A.D. had been poisoned, it was Mulder who had found him, who tried unsuccessfully to find the perpetrator. When Scully had told him later that the A.D. had mentioned on his supposed deathbed that he regretted not aligning himself more fully with their cause, Mulder had been heartsick. However, it wasn't soon after his miraculous recovery that the A.D. had casually sent them back to Kersh, disavowing all further contact with them.

Suddenly the door swung open, interrupting his musings. Two brawny servants stood before him, with the usual smarmy grins on their faces. One was taller than the other, with black hair and light blue eyes, while the other one was blond with a flattened nose. Mulder braced himself for trouble.

"Hello, gorgeous," said the taller one, "We're here to get you ready for your master. He wants you bathed, my little pet, so don't act up."

"I can bathe myself!" Mulder retorted, his pulse racing.

"Oh, I don't think so. Come on, we have this nice vat of hot water waiting here for you, don't you think it'll make thoseÖerÖoverused muscles of yours feel really good?" said the tall servant, while the other servant snickered.

Mulder blushed furiously. He weighed his chances of escape, and when the men got the door open and were dragging in the vat of water, he nimbly leaped over it and started to race down the hall.

He didn't get very far. The blond servant tackled him from behind, and the other servant joined him in restraining Mulder.

"Now, why'd you go and do that, sweet one? I'm going to have to report this to your master, he'll be none too pleased. All we want is to give you a simple bath, you certainly complicate matters," chided the tall servant.

"Just leave me alone! I don't want you guys touching me!" snarled Mulder, as they dragged him by his arms backwards to the room.

"How flattering. Our touching you will be the least of your troubles if you don't gain some wisdom and gain it fast. Well, Frederick? Shall we proceed in bathing this wildcat?" uttered the tall servant scornfully, as he closed the door.

"Yes, William, with pleasure," chortled Frederick. He dragged the vat of warm water into the center of the bedchamber. It was huge, but he moved it with ease.

After he had positioned it properly, the two men grabbed Mulder and unceremoniously dumped him in the center of it. Mulder yelped, the hot water felt none too good on his sore backside, but the men kept him in the tub by pushing back down on his shoulders.

"Now calm down, hellcat, it'll feel better in a minute. Warm water is better for such ailments, it'll keep you from blistering," William exhorted, "Frederick, hand me the soap and washcloth."

He laved up the washcloth with the soap and started scrubbing Mulder's back, shoulders and neck. Mulder shifted uncomfortably, but gradually he got used to the warm water and his backside didn't hurt so much.

Unfortunately William felt the need to make small talk as he washed Mulder.

"You're very lucky, my friend," he said, "Lord Skinner is an excellent master, and he'll treat you well once you start behaving. I can see he's quite infatuated with you, so if you play your cards right, he'll be eating out of the palm of your hand in no time."

Mulder tensed angrily. "I don't think so. Lord Skinner is a nutcase if he thinks I'm going to put up with this treatment! First chance I get, I'm leaving."

The two servants looked at each other and burst out laughing. "Obstinate as the day is long! What is a nutcase, sweet one? I gather it's not a term of endearment!"

Mulder was about to explain, when they were interrupted by Edward. The old servant came into the room carrying a small tub of warm water and leather bag with a long wood tube, the purpose of which Mulder was already acquainted with. He immediately stood up and tried to escape over the side of the tub, but was seized by the two servants.

"You forgot this item, gentlemen," Edward offered, grinning at Mulder's reaction, "My lord will be displeased if you don't use it!"

"Screw your lord!" Mulder shouted angrily. "Forget it! No one's using that thing on me again!"

There was a silence, in which the servants shook their heads and rolled their eyes at each other.

William spoke. "If you agree to use it on yourself, we won't do it. If not, then we'll have to force you, my friend. Either way is fine with us."

Mulder considered the situation. He didn't want the enema at all, but he acted as if he was going to cooperate. The men filled the bag with warm water and handed it to him. Mulder took it and acted like he was going to use it and then sprayed it at the servants, startling them into letting go of him.

He ran again for the door, only to run smack into Krycek. He drew his fist back to take a swing at Krycek, who responded by waving his hand in front of him. Suddenly Mulder found himself frozen in place.

"That holding spell comes in handy, doesn't it, sweet one?" Krycek smirked. Mulder had a most amusing and delicious look of pure astonishment on his face.

He turned to the servants. "What is going on here?" he demanded angrily. "Lord Skinner wants him downstairs now! Can't three servants control one slave?"

Frederick cleared his throat. "Master Krycek, we were going to purge him, but he refused. We offered him the opportunity to do it himself, and this was the result. He is a most duplicitous creature, we must guard against his wiles!"

"I'm sure there's plenty about him you'd love to guard, Frederick!" Krycek grumbled.  "No matter, I'll do it. Fox, listen to me, we're going to purge you. The holding spell will last only a bit longer, so we can do this. Here, let's carry him over to the tub."

Without any effort at all, the three men hauled Mulder back into the tub. Mulder still couldn't move, and he almost hyperventilated from the terror of being frozen in position. Krycek pinched his nose until he started breathing normally.

Krycek filled the sack with warm water. Without any resistance from Mulder at all, he placed the nozzle of the bag into his anus. As the bag emptied into him, Mulder felt an unbearable pressure growing within him that he was helpless to prevent. The water gathered within him and filled him until he felt like he was going to burst. Krycek held the nozzle there for several seconds, which were incredible torture to Mulder, as he felt stretched and filled to the extreme. When at long last the nozzle was removed, the water gushed out of him in a rush into the tub.

Krycek repeated the action twice more. When he was finished, he looked at Mulder and was startled to see tears of humiliation in the beautiful slave's eyes.

"Oh, come now, Fox," he chided, "It's not that bad! You've got a lot worse things in store for you than this, especially if you don't change that foul attitude of yours!"

Mulder found his voice as he jumped out of the tub, the holding spell had ended. "Goddamn you, you bastard, what gives you the right to do such things to me!" he said in a shaking voice, "I'm not some little sex toy for you and your master's perverted fantasies! Let me go home, dammit!"

"Hush," Krycek soothed, folding his arms around an unwilling Mulder. Mulder tried to push him away, but Krycek caught his wrists. He leaned forward and gave Mulder a deep, probing kiss, keeping Mulder from pulling away or biting him with his magic.

He then dried Mulder with a thick embroidered towel. "Get me his outfit," Krycek then commanded the servants. They brought over the black thong, which Krycek proceeded to tie on Mulder while the servants held him.

He stood back and examined his handiwork. Mulder's ass was as beautiful as ever, with the deep blush from Skinner's spanking still upon it. The huge black bow he'd tied above it was a charming adornment.

"Come, my love," he murmured, wrapping his arms around Mulder's waist, "Your master awaits."

 **The Great Hall**    
 **Skinner's Palace**

"You mean to tell me," Lord Skinner exclaimed, "that Ondolee was originally part of your family's lands?"

"Many, many years ago," responded his guest, "I can show you where it is written in the Great Book. It is only fair that it is returned to me as the rightful owner."

Skinner frowned. His guest was a particularly onerous wizard, who rarely if ever visited him. His name was Draco, and Skinner knew him to be ruthless when crossed, and not someone he'd welcome into his dwelling if he had a choice.

The wizard was from a region west of Ondolee called Westfalia, from which he rarely traveled. He had reigned there for quite awhile, having conquered many villages, and tales of his evil methods never failed to reach Skinner's ears. Draco had been happy to stay in his kingdom and leave Skinner alone until this day, when it was obvious that the evil wizard had set his sights on Ondolee as a new prize possession.

"Even if it were true that Ondolee was part of your ancestral lands," continued Skinner, "you can't possibly believe that the people of Ondolee will tamely accept your rule. They have lived here for many generations, free from the harshness of authoritarian rule such as yours, and they would mean to stay that way."

Draco smiled a smile that caused Skinner to shudder inwardly. It never reached his eyes, which were piercing and cold. "That's why you must join me, Lord Skinner," he responded, "You and your young wizard companion must join my kingdom with yours and create a great empire."

Skinner was about to respond when they were interrupted by the arrival of Krycek and Mulder. Krycek was walking ahead, calmly leading a protesting Mulder by the wrist, who was in turn flanked by William and Frederick.

Skinner lifted an eyebrow at Krycek, who shrugged sheepishly. "What's this? Three men to one slave? What has been going on with Fox?"

Both William and Frederick started talking at once, with Mulder exclaiming over them, and no one being distinctly heard.

"Quiet, quiet!!! William, what is going on? Has Fox been any trouble?" Skinner demanded.

"Trouble indeed, my lord," responded William. "He tried to escape and then attempted to punch Master Krycek when he entered the bedchamber! He's a *pack* of trouble, my lord! He needs whippings the way other men need their daily glass of port!"

Mulder shuddered. Skinner had that thunderous look again. He swallowed hard as he awaited his master's response.

Finally Skinner spoke. "Fox, I've told you again and again that any escape attempts would be severely punished. Luckily for you, we have a guest, so I must postpone your punishment. However, it gives me ample time to dwell on what would be the most fitting punishment for you, so don't feel too relieved."

Draco let out a cackle. "Oh, don't postpone any punishment on my account! What will it be, Skinner? Hot irons? The rack?"

"Neither, Draco," Skinner responded scornfully, "Fox is a pleasure slave, one that I am quite fond of, not someone I want to torture to death! Though in your case anyone who looks cross-eyed at you can receive such a punishment, no?"

Instead of becoming angry, Draco displayed a sickly sweet smile. "My Lord Skinner, you overestimate me. Frankly, I'm flattered, I had no idea I had such a reputation for cruelty in these remote parts. That will certainly help in ruling our new empire."

Skinner opened his mouth to protest when he saw the expression on Mulder's face. He had gone dead-white and was staring his "I've seen a ghost" expression right at Draco.

"Y-y-you! It'sÖyou! C.G.B. Spender! I don't believe this!" sputtered Mulder.

Draco looked amused. "Excuse me?"

"It's you! The consortium, Samantha disappearing, my father being killed, alien colonization, you're behind all of it!"

"Young man, I don't know what you're talking about. Skinner, cruel punishment or no, are you sure this boy is right in the head?" Draco countered. The slave was unspeakably beautiful, and Draco itched to have him over his knee and teach him true respect.

Skinner sighed. Having Mulder as his slave was certainly making life interesting.

"Draco, Fox is from an alternate universe, and there is a good chance that there is someone in his home world who is your double, and is responsible for the events you mentioned." Skinner explained. It was more information than he cared to share with Draco, but he didn't see any way out of it.

Draco took in this information with a great deal of interest. "Well, now that's something. He must have come through the Cristalu Vortex. Is that right, boy?"

Mulder gulped and nodded. He was calmed somewhat by realizing that Draco was merely cigarette-smoking man's double, but not much. There was the same evil glint in the man's eye, and he was looking Mulder over in a most unpleasant way.

"Well, well. I had heard of Cristalu being a gateway to other worlds. This is truly fascinating. Skinner, how can we use this knowledge to our advantage?" Draco remarked.

Skinner found Draco's attitude enraging. The assumption of Skinner's collusion in any nefarious plan of Draco's was the least of it. "Draco, I have no idea what you mean. You know nothing of this slave's world and already you're coveting it? How do you know it isn't some barbaric place, where they would burn noxious wizards like yourself at the stake?" Skinner responded in a tight-lipped, angry manner.

Draco laughed unpleasantly. "Ah, Skinner, I can see this is going to be a beautiful partnership. So opinionated, so forthright, so *brave*. I treasure your companionship."

He leaned forward to whisper conspiratorially to Skinner. "I do hope that we can share the spoils of our victories, if you know what I mean." He then gave both Krycek and Mulder an explicit sideways glance.

Krycek turned red with rage. "You goddamn monster, you keep your filthy paws off me and Fox or you'll be sorry, do you understand?" He despised Draco, as he had had numerous unpleasant dealings with him in the past before coming under Skinner's aegis.

Mulder was surprised by Krycek's reaction. The relationships between the three men were becoming more eerily familiar than he would have expected.

Draco, however, was furious. "Little man, you actually dare to threaten me? Skinner, I demand you have your apprentice flogged on the spot, I won't tolerate this treatment! If you can't control your slaves, I'll do it for you!"

"You'll do no such thing, Draco," Skinner growled, "He said nothing that I didn't approve of myself. Why do you come to me with this absurd request? Join forces with you? What insanity! I can't imagine why you'd bother wasting your precious time!"

Draco drew himself up and answered Skinner in an neutral tone, made all the more menacing by his barely-controlled fury. "My dear Lord Skinner," he remonstrated, "I honestly thought that you were a wise man and an excellent wizard, and that's why I came here today. You know as well as I do that Ondolee is mine should I want it, and there is only one way for the two of us to survive when our respective kingdoms are joined. Together we can create an empire the likes of which the world has never seen! If you join forces with me, I promise you that you'll never regret it. If you oppose me, you most certainly will."

There was a tense silence as Mulder and Krycek anxiously awaited Skinner's response. Finally Skinner spoke. "My dear Lord Draco, much as I hate to offend such a gifted and noble wizard," he declared sarcastically, "I must decline your kind offer. I am Ondolee's great protector, their lord, but never their owner! I would never enter into an alliance with you simply because such an arrangement would be detestable to the Ondoleans. I would never hand over this lovely region to the bloodstained paws of a tyrant. You look at villages with the conquering eyes of some great avaricious mythical beast, engulfing and devouring, never sated, with thousands of men's souls howling in your belly! I am afraid you made your long journey in vain, as there is no way I will ever join forces with you!" Skinner ended his tirade by folding his arms and glaring furiously at his adversary.

Draco was enraged. "And is that your final word on the subject?" he asked tersely.

"It is!" Skinner responded.

"Well then, I suppose my journey *was* in vain! Well, Lord Skinner, such a nice show for your pretty little slave and your wizard-boy companion! I am sorry to part on such harsh terms. There will be hell to pay, and you will live to rue this day! However ­" Draco paused and eyed Mulder, "perhaps if you were to make me a generous gift, I can overlook your insolence, and spare the lives of you and your wizardling once the siege has started. Give me the slave from the other world as my own, as a parting gift, and I shall agree to leave both you and Master Krycek in peace."

Draco was quite sure that Skinner would agree to this plan. Even in his remote village he had heard news of Skinner's numerous conquests and doubted that he had any real feeling for Mulder other than a carnal one. He figured that Skinner would hand over Mulder without a second thought, regarding him as just another beautiful little nothing ready to be tossed out of bed once Skinner tired of him. Therefore Draco was unprepared for Skinner's explosion of rage and the furious epithets that he hurled at him.

"Damn you to hell, you scoundrel, for even suggesting such a thing! Give Fox to you, what impudence! If you so much as think of coming near this slave, you'll regret the day you were born! I'll slice you in two, I'll rip you to shreds, I'll feed you to a Hydra, I'lló"

"Enough!" Draco shouted. "I am leaving, Lord Skinner! Regret the day I was born indeed! You've made an enemy today, Lord Skinner, and I wouldn't spare your lives now if both of you groveled at my feet! You'd better work on those spells, boy," he directed at Krycek, "Your master is going to need all the help he can get!"

With that dire prediction Draco flounced out of the room, gathering his black tunic about him.

The room was fraught with tension as the men watched him go. Finally Skinner turned to the servants.

"William, go gather up the other wizards and bring them here now. We need to start working on spells to stop this madman. They will dine at my pleasure after we work, but we must search for ways to protect the village. Tell them it is imperative that they come as soon as possible."

"Yes, my lord," replied William soberly as he and Frederick hurried out of the room.

When Skinner turned to Krycek, he saw that he was as white as a sheet.

"What, boy, are you frightened of that old crone? He is full of bluster, have no fear, he isn't half the wizard that he claims to be," soothed Skinner. He was somewhat disturbed by Draco's threats, but he felt more concerned for his young apprentice.

"Begging your pardon, my lord, but you don't know him like I do! He never forgets an offense against him. He's a man who would torture an infant to death if it suited his purposes. He's merciless and evil through and through! We must protect Ondolee, the villagers are defenseless against his power," Krycek exclaimed, visibly shaken.

"That's what I mean to do, we'll need the other wizards in the region to join forces with us. William will contact them and send them over to us forthwith." Skinner reassured him.

Skinner then turned to Mulder wearing a delighted smile, his eyes moving hungrily up and down his body. "Now, my sweet, you're looking as fetching as ever. Come here." He reached for Mulder with open arms, who gasped with shock and tried to duck out of his way.

He couldn't avoid Skinner however and soon found himself enfolded in a huge bear hug. He squirmed uselessly against Skinner's strength and yelped when he felt a strong hand reach between his legs and stroke his cock through the thin fabric of his thong.

Mulder was as mortified as ever to feel himself start to harden. His cock was still sensitive from the demands placed on him but it just seemed to make him more susceptible to Skinner's attentions.

Skinner laughed softly in his ear. "You know, I still need to punish you. I have some excellent ideas on ways to affect that brazen pride of yours, lessons that you won't easily forget. You'd better be nice to me, Fox, otherwise I might employ them!" he murmured as he continued to stroke him.

Mulder struggled in his arms, trying to twist his way out. He put his hands up against Skinner's shoulders and pushed against him. In response Skinner grabbed his tender buttocks and squeezed hard, causing Mulder to squawk and writhe frantically.

"You see, I know how to control you, my love," Skinner smirked. "Until you learn to obey me, you'll always have that Achilles heel, or bottom, I should say!" He then pinched one of Mulder's nipples, rolling it around between thumb and forefinger until it hardened. With that accomplished, Skinner set to work on the other one.

Mulder was beside himself. Skinner's actions were inflaming him again, and there was nothing he could do to stop him. If the wizard kept this up, they'd be rolling around on the floor in another minute.

"Skinner, stop it, not here," he pleaded. "Please, please, stop it!"

"Why, little one? There's no one here to bother us, and this is my palace after all. Are you worried that Draco will return and see us? When he sees what he's missing, he'll be more determined to slaughter me than ever!" Skinner chuckled.

"Skinner, that wizard wants to destroy your land! All you can think of is screwing me! You need to figure out with Krycek how to protect everyone, not play around in bed! Skinner! Skinner, are you listening?" Mulder protested, grabbing at any straw to get Skinner off him. If Skinner refused to stop touching him, Mulder was going to explode.

Suddenly he felt Krycek behind him and feared the worst. However, instead of joining Skinner in molesting him, the younger wizard put his hand on Skinner's shoulder.

"The slave is correct, my lord, we must save this pleasure for another time. The other wizards should soon be here, and as much as they would enjoy the sight of you pleasuring this beautiful slave, there is work to be done. We can't leave Ondolee to the mercy of that wretched villain!" Krycek declared emphatically.

Skinner reluctantly let go of Mulder, who immediately scurried away to the other side of the room. "I suppose you're right, Alex," he sighed, "But he is so delectable! Sweet one, you are still protesting my attentions. I must add that to your list of transgressions. No matter, sometime soon I'll have you trained so perfectly, no one will ever know you were the rebellious upstart you are now!"

He went over to Mulder and grabbed his arm to lead him out of the room, with Krycek joining them on the other side. "Wh-where are we going?" Mulder asked, dreading the answer.

"I can't have you wandering around when there is such important business to be decided. You'll stay in a separate room until I call for you, that way I won't be distracted by your unruly behavior." Skinner responded.

The two men lead him back up the stairs and down a long hallway. There were so many twists and turns in the corridors that Mulder quickly lost his way. Finally they arrived at the intended destination.

Skinner unlocked the door and kissed Mulder swiftly on the lips. "In you go, my love, and don't try anything foolish, " he admonished. "There's still your punishment to consider, and right now I am not inclined to be generous!"

With that he forcefully shoved Mulder backwards into the room, which was sparsely furnished and lit by oil lamps. Skinner slammed the door after him, and Mulder heard a key turn in the lock.

"Damn!" Mulder complained aloud, jostling the door knob. "He's locked the door! How in the world am I ever going to get out of this hellhole?"

Suddenly Mulder heard a stirring behind him, and he quickly realized that he wasn't alone.

"Agent Mulder! Cool!" exclaimed Jackson Thomas, as he got up from the pallet on which he had been sitting on the floor, "It's great to see you!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Skinner's Palace**

Mulder was astonished to see Jackson Thomas. He was the last person Mulder expected to see, and here he was incarcerated in the same room with him. The young blonde runner looked as handsome as ever, wearing the usual slave uniform, the black cloth g-string tied neatly in the back.

"Jackson, what are you doing here?  I thought you were on kitchen duty!"

"I am, Agent Mulder, but even those guys gave me a break sometime. I suppose you can say this is my room, though it's rather odd that I'm not in the downstairs slave quarters with the other kitchen slaves, don't you think?" Jackson queried, with a puzzled look on his face.

Mulder had his own opinion as to why Jackson wasn't with the other slaves, but he didn't voice it.

He looked around. The room was very sparsely decorated, with the pallet on the floor and a couple of chairs. There were no windows. The oil lamps on the wall were the only light.

"Well, Lord Skinner locked me in here with you. I can't imagine why they put us in here together! I don't trust him or Krycek. I got the feeling they're up to something."

Jackson frowned, looking somewhat disgruntled. Mulder was surprised by his reaction, and was about to ask him what was the matter, when Jackson finally spoke.

"I didn't think it'd bother you to be stuck in here with me, Agent Mulder. I've been wondering about you, I haven't seen you since that that time in the hall, and it's not like we're in a normal situation, slaves to that guy in the black leather. This is one wild place. How have they been treating you?"

Mulder cleared his throat. "Er, just fine, considering the circumstances, Jackson, I wouldn't worry about it too much."

Jackson didn't say anything. He still wore a frown on his handsome, finely sculpted face. He refused to look at Mulder but didn't volunteer any more information.

Finally Mulder broke the silence. "So, Jackson, what are the conditions like in the kitchen?"

"Oh, okay I guess. The cook gives me fun tasks like peeling potatoes or scrubbing the floor. If it weren't for the fact that there's no paycheck, I'd just feel like hired help. As a matter of fact, the summer I worked at Denny's the work was worse than this.  Of course, the utilities were more upgraded than they are here," he responded, flashing a bright smile at Mulder.

Mulder cleared his throat. "Well, I hope the hell we get out of here soon. I can't imagine what Scully and Sheriff Parker are thinking. If I know Dana, she won't trust her own eyes, and she'll be scrounging around working her butt off trying to come up with some scientific reason for our disappearance other than the vortex. Lot of good that will do us, but I don't know what else she can do."

"Scully?  Who's that, Agent Mulder," Jackson asked him.

"My partner. A real firebrand, in the best sense of the word. My better half, so to speak. We've been together for years. She's saved my ass more times than I can count. A good woman, Jackson," Mulder assured him.

"Is she pretty?" Jackson wondered.

"Oh, she sure is. A redhead. Wait 'til you see her." Mulder responded, then cut himself short. With a sinking feeling, he realized that there was a good chance that time may never come.

He groaned inwardly. It was almost as if he'd descended into some pervert's vision of hell, with nonstop sexual demands from the two men in his life that commanded the greatest amount of attention from him. Or stress. He couldn't figure out which.

Jackson looked at him, realizing why he stopped talking. He smiled reassuringly. "Well, Agent Mulder, I sure hope I do get to meet her. She sounds great."

Mulder sighed. "She is. Are you concerned about how your parents are dealing with this?"

Jackson reflected for a moment. "Only my mother. She's always been pretty attached to me, I think she got into that mother-daughter identity struggle thing with my little sister a long time ago. Not that Bliss isn't a real handful. She's a pain in the ass. Can't say that I blame her, Bliss drives me up the wall."

Mulder nodded. "Maybe your mother's keeping a cool head about it all. How about your dad?"

"Oh, he's a great guy. Sonny. He manages a natural foods store in town. Pretty easy-going about everything. He's kinda an airhead though, my mom's the real levelheaded one. And that's still not saying much," he grinned. He doubted his father would be of any use in this situation.

"My mother's name is Samhara," Jackson continued, "Her real name is Katherine. She got it changed after they visited this ashram in Colorado. Don't ask me why. She meditates and does yoga every day. She's always looking for the perfect guru, always trying to attain a higher state of consciousness or something. She's also vegan, we used to have to eat the weirdest, most boring dinners, and I never tasted chocolate until I was nine, isn't that a riot?  All my friends' families were the same way.

When we were growing up, it wasn't 'ssshhh, your mother's sleeping,' it was more like 'ssshhh, Mommy's meditating.'  A lot of times I think that was just her way of getting out of dealing with us!  Pretty clever if you ask me," he finished with a wry grin.

"But you believe in that sort of New Age philosophy yourself, Hicks told me that you liked running near Bell Rock because of the vibrations. "   
    
"Yeah, I guess I do a little. It's what I've been brought up with, you know?  Anyway, it does seem to work, I've won at every track meet that I've been in this season!  At least, it worked up until now!  Can't win a race when I'm stuck here, huh, Agent Mulder?" Jackson finished with an amused glint in his eyes.

Mulder didn't know what to say. Jackson seemed like he was handling it okay, but Mulder wasn't sure. "You don't know how this will turn out, Jackson. We may still find a way to get home."

"Oh, I hope so, Agent Mulder. I took a medieval history class in college, and I know all about serfs and slavery, but I don't think I ever expected to experience it firsthand!" Jackson responded with a laugh.

They were interrupted by the unlocking of the door to the room. It swung open, and  Edward entered the room carrying two trays, flanked again by William and Frederick.

"Here is your supper, gentlemen!"  Edward smirked. He handed a small wood tray to Mulder and the other one to Jackson. There was cold pheasant with bread and assorted vegetables and a cup of watery amber liquid, looking like some sort of diluted beer.

"I'm not hungry," Mulder sulked. The food looked delicious, but he was tired of being treated like a treasured pet.

Instead of looking amused at Mulder's childish response, Edward frowned. "You'll eat what's given to you, my boy. Lord Skinner will be angry if he hears that you skipped a meal!  Do you want another paddling?"

"Lord Skinner this, Lord Skinner that!" Mulder exploded. "I don't give a flying fuck what Lord Skinner thinks!  If I don't want to eat, I won't, it's my goddamned life!  Or it should be, at any rate!"

"You'll eat," William raged, "You'll eat or we'll force food down that insolent gullet of yours!  Frederick and I have plenty of experience force-feeding rebel slaves!  It'd be a pleasure with you, my pretty one, don't think it wouldn't!"

"Come on, Agent Mulder," Jackson intervened worriedly, nibbling on a piece of bread and pheasant. "It's really good!  You should eat, you've got to keep up your strength."

Well, that much was certainly true, Mulder thought. He begrudgingly pulled off a piece of bread and glared at the servants while he tossed it into his mouth, chewing slowly and deliberately.

Edward harrumphed sarcastically in response. The three servants then turned and retreated from the room. Once they were outside, Mulder could hear the lock turn once again.

Sidestepping the confrontation with the servants made Mulder feel deflated. He nibbled half-heartedly at some of the vegetables on his plate. Jackson, on the other hand, was chowing down his meal, taking huge slugs of the drink on his tray.

"Agent Mulder, this drink's really good," he declared, "It tastes like some sort of light ale."

"Gee, those drinking laws are effective," Mulder snorted. "So much for government efficiency. Would you say Bud or Miller's, college boy?"

"Oh, better than that, Agent Mulder, probably Anchor Steam," beamed Jackson.

They ate the rest of their meal in silence. Mulder drank only a bit of the ale but ate more of the food, as tasting it stimulated his appetite. He was finishing up the vegetables with huge pieces of bread when he suddenly sensed Jackson looking at him.

He looked up. Jackson was regarding him with a strange expression on his face. Mulder gave him a reassuring smile. "I sincerely doubt that slaves would get fed so well back in our world, huh, Jackson?  Talk about a gilded cage!"

Jackson frowned. "Speaking of slavery, how's Lord Skinner treating his erstwhile personal slave these days?"

Mulder was caught unawares by Jackson's directness. His light blue eyes were gleaming unnaturally as he gazed at Mulder. "Er, okay I guess. Everything's just fine, Jackson. Don't worry about me."

"Oh, I'll worry about you all right," Jackson responded sourly. "They fucked you, didn't they?"

Mulder was stunned. It took him a moment to find his voice. "I don't thinkó"

"You don't have to lie to me, Agent Mulder. Fox. I can tell, you've got that just-fucked look. So what was it like?  Did you enjoy it?"

Mulder's pulse started racing. He didn't know what had come over Jackson, he seemed different than before. "Jackson, what's going on?"

Jackson laughed bitterly at Mulder's reaction. "Pretty strange situation, both of us owned by that Skinner guy, and I can't do a thing about it. Well, we're alone here now, and the least I can do is. this."

He slammed his tray down at his feet, rattling the dishware, and abruptly snatched Mulder's tray away as Mulder stared at him, dumbfounded. He then cupped his hand on the back of Mulder's head and leaned over to kiss him. Mulder lurched back in shock.

"Jackson, for god's sake, what the hell do you think you're doing???" Mulder's voice had raised an octave or two in sheer amazement at the young man's behavior. He was so stunned he could only sit there with his mouth gaping and eyes popping out of his head.

"Oh Fox, for god's sake yourself. I've wanted you as soon as I laid eyes on you. Don't be so goddamned surprised, you've got the two of them pawing away at you, they were all talking about it in the kitchen, do you think that I'm going to feel any different?  I want to fuck you as much as they do, and if it was my choice, you'd be in my bed, with my cock inside you, making you screamó"

"Stop it!" Mulder shouted. "And it's still Agent Mulder to you, Jackson!  I've been literally busting my ass to keep those clowns away from you, and all this time you've had the hots for me?  Well, that's just terrific!  Some college boy virgin you turned out to be!"

Jackson started to laugh. "Agent Mulder, sorry. Well, I don't know why you didn't *ask* me, Agent Mulder!  I happen to be bisexual, lots of experience with both. Choosing women over men to me is like saying if you like Phish, you can't listen to Beck. What difference does it make, anyway?  I mean, it's the nineties, get with the program, Agent Mulder!  Gay or straight, who cares nowadays!"

He gave Mulder a sly glance. "That magic rod, that thing, what was it called?"

Mulder was sullen. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You know, that wand that glowed blue for you, told them you'd never had anal sex. Well, with me it glowed red hot, Agent Mulder!" Jackson grinned at him. He thought the situation was too funny, the gorgeous but uptight FBI man trying to save his ass. If his friends could only see them now.

Mulder's mood declined further. He hadn't known that the rod they inserted into him when he was in the slave stables indicated that. "If that was true, then those guards must have given you a hard time, huh Jackson?  I thought you were worried about them!"

"No, Agent Mulder, they didn't. And yes I was, just because I enjoy sex doesn't mean I wanted to get raped by a bunch of ugly thugs, who would?  Anyway, before he went in to see you, before you woke up, that Krycek told them that they weren't to touch me under any circumstances, that Lord Skinner would be furious if they did. He's pretty hot, that Krycek, and so is Lord Skinner, some sight in that black leather harness, don't you think?"

Mulder immediately saw red. Krycek knew Jackson wasn't a virgin. Krycek told the guards to leave Jackson alone. He wanted to put his hands around Krycek's throat and squeeze.

He roared, causing Jackson to jump, plainly startled. "You mean to tell me, you mean to tell me, that Krycek knew that you weren't a virgin?"

"Yes, Agent Mulder." Jackson responded, distressed. "So did Lord Skinner, the first day I got here, we talked about it. He asked me how many men I've slept with, and I told him. I thought he was going to seduce me, and frankly, I wouldn't have said no, to him or Krycek either, but he didn't. He left me alone, and then I ended up working in the kitchen. That's the truth, I swear."

Mulder's head was spinning. His first thought was the whole scene was conjured up by Skinner, more torments upon his already tormented-to-death soul. He suddenly reached out to grab Jackson's wrist, wondering if he was some apparition, but it was definitely a flesh-and-blood wrist that he grabbed.

Jackson, of course, misunderstood this action, thinking Mulder wanted to pull him into his arms. He leaned forward to embrace Mulder, causing him to push him aside and scoot out of Jackson's way.

"Damn it, Jackson! Do you *know* what I've gone through for you? Do you even care? I let Krycek and Lord Skinner fuck me because I thought I was protecting you!"  Mulder raged.

Jackson looked taken aback. "I had no idea that it was to protect me!  When Krycek visited you in your cell, I couldn't hear your conversation at all, it was weird, since we were just talking. It sounded garbled, but when I heard you two, uh, getting it on, I just assumed that you knew him---"

"That fucking Krycek!"  Mulder raged impotently. The devious apprentice must have cast a spell to keep Jackson unaware of his blackmail tactics, preventing him from hearing Krycek's threats regarding him when he coerced Mulder into having sex.

"Oh, come on, Agent Mulder, forget about it. And goddammit, don't be so uptight. It's incredibly boring in that kitchen, all day long all I've been doing is thinking of you!  You look so damn hot in that outfit!  We're alone here, so let's make the best of it!" Jackson demanded angrily.

He jumped up and followed Mulder to where he was standing across the room. He threw his arms around Mulder and tried to draw him closer, but Mulder pushed him away.

"Christ, Jackson, I'm old enough to be your father!  This is insane!!!!" scolded Mulder. He was angry at the college student and felt like a sucker for trying to keep Skinner and Krycek away from him, especially when Jackson professed to be so attracted to them.

"Some father. With fathers like you, incest is best!" quipped Jackson, as he lunged for Mulder. Mulder dodged out of his way, moving across the expanse of the small room all too quickly.

The two men circled each other like wrestlers. Mulder would have appreciated the comedy of the situation if he'd been in better shape. As it was, he was distinctly worried. Jackson possessed a fairly strong build and hadn't experienced the rigorous workout and sleep deprivation that Mulder had for the last several days, not to mention Skinner's spankings. The thought of Jackson fucking him after all he had been through made him want to scream.

"Jackson, cut it out!" Mulder yelled. "I'm not fucking with you, will you get it through your thick head? Instead of wasting all this time acting like an oversexed adolescent, you should be trying to get out of here! Jackson?"

Jackson lunged again for Mulder and caught him in his arms. He grabbed Mulder's face and kissed him, thrusting his tongue deep into his mouth. He ran his hands all around Mulder's shoulders and back, then slipped his hand into Mulder's g-string and fondled his cock, which preened at the attention. He then pulled his hand out and seized Mulder's buttocks with both hands.

Mulder jumped and cried out. Why the hell was everyone tormenting him this way, he thought angrily. All the rage and frustration of his captivity and sexual abuse bubbled to the surface, and he shoved violently against Jackson's chest, sending him careening backwards onto the floor.

"So is this what they're teaching you at Arizona State?  How to become a sex offender?" he snarled. "Hands off the FBI agent, buddy!"

Jackson laughed mischievously, leaning back on his forearms. He made an enticing sight, lean-muscled legs spread out before him, wearing an impish smile on his face. "Oh come on, Agent Mulder. I'm sorry I'm coming on so strong, but you should see yourself. Hot, hot, hot!  We're in this together like you said, remember? Can't we enjoy ourselves just a teeny bit?  You're so fucking gorgeous. "

His voice trailed off as he stared at Mulder transfixed. The telltale bulge at the front of his g-string made Mulder gulp nervously. He remembered from the slave pen how hung Jackson was. No way was Jackson going to fuck him. However, his own cock throbbed expectantly, betraying him as usual.

Jackson started to get up from the floor. Mulder braced himself to fight him off again, when he suddenly caught side of a small panel on the wall up above Jackson's head. He held up his hand to stop Jackson from charging him again. Jackson thought at first that it was another show of resistance, when he realized that Mulder was looking off to the right over his head. He turned and followed his gaze.

About two feet above their heads was a small panel. It looked like an trap door that probably led to an attic or storage space. Jackson turned his head back and looked questioningly at Mulder.

"Do you have any idea what that door is, what's behind it?" Mulder asked him.

"Er, no, Agent Mulder, I've got no idea. We haven't been here all that long, and frankly, the times I've been in this room, I've been too exhausted to notice anything," Jackson responded somewhat sheepishly. He felt foolish for not considering any possible escape routes, but he'd actually been preoccupied with thinking of Mulder and wondering about what he was going through. Those warm thoughts almost invariably led to an activity that wasn't going to get them any closer to freedom.

"That looks like a trap door to an attic or something. We've got to get up there and try it out," Mulder declared emphatically. They had been given no silverware with their supper trays, and he doubted that there was anything with which to pick the lock in Jackson's sparsely-decorated room. The trap door was a welcome discovery, especially with the way events were developing. His nerves were shot, and he didn't know how much more he could take.

Mulder eyed the trap door. It wasn't too far off the ground, he could get up there by using one of the chairs, it wouldn't be difficult at all. There was the possibility that the door led to nowhere, but even if it was an attic room or something, he could at least look around, and maybe there were some windows.

It was decided. "Jackson," he said, "We need to get up there and try that door. There's no other way out of this room. I want to see where it leads."

Jackson looked reluctant. He'd been warned not to escape just as Mulder had, and he was concerned about the consequences. In spite of his recent behavior, he was more cautious than Mulder, and found it difficult to believe Lord Skinner would put them in a room with *any* kind of escape route.

It also put a crimp in his plans to seduce Mulder. He wanted to have him on his pallet or anywhere else right here and now. His erection was aching with the need to thrust into that gorgeous body.

"Are you sure it isn't some sort of trap?" Jackson queried skeptically.

Mulder thought for a minute. He knew that Skinner could read his thoughts, but that talent seemed to require being at close range. The other day when he tried to escape from Skinner's bedchamber, the lord hadn't known about his attempts until he entered the room. Krycek hadn't exhibited that skill at all, and Mulder doubted that he'd possess a talent greater than the master wizard.

Lord Skinner had his hands full right now with Draco's threat of invasion, and Mulder knew that now was as good a time as any to try to escape. Skinner was downstairs working with the other wizards. Mulder shuddered at the thought of all that supernatural power in one place, but he had to try to get out, if he stayed here any longer he'd go insane.

He dragged a chair over to just under the trap door. He jumped up onto it and reached up for the knob. It took some jostling of the hinges, but eventually Mulder got it to swing open.

Peering into the dark space, he was trembling with excitement. It appeared to be some sort of tunnel or secret passageway. He couldn't wait to try it out.

He turned to Jackson. "Well, you horny little bastard," he addressed him scornfully, "I'm going through this passageway to try to find a way to get home. Are you coming?"

Jackson sighed. "Apparently not, but yes, I'll go with you. Sorry, I couldn't resist," he beamed at Mulder's reproachful scowl.

Mulder lifted himself up into the dark space. Jackson had ample time to admire Mulder's bottom, dying to get his hands on it again soon. Then suddenly Mulder was up in the narrow space, with barely enough room to turn around.

"It looks like some sort of long, secret passageway. It goes downward, so I'm hoping it'll lead to a room off the first floor. We may have to make a run for it at the end, but we won't try anything if it doesn't look safe."  Mulder told him.

"Whatever you say, Agent Mulder," Jackson responded sourly. He had a bad feeling about this enterprise, but he yielded to the older man.

Without much effort Jackson lifted himself up into the passageway. Mulder had already crawled a few feet away, and Jackson soon lost sight of his delicious ass as the agent was enveloped in darkness. Jackson crawled quickly after him, not wanting to be separated.

The two men made their way through the dark passageway very slowly and arduously. The light from the room soon faded away, and the tunnel was as dark as pitch. Crawling on their hands and knees through the dark, narrow space was more of a challenge than either of them cared to admit. The floor of the tunnel was made of rough stone that was hard on their knees.

Suddenly without warning, the floor of the passageway shifted under them. They both yelped in surprise to find themselves each on a smooth, woven rug.

Mulder's heart started pounding. He tried to back up and his fears were realized as he saw that it was impossible to move his hands or knees. They were manacled to the rug.

"Jackson?" he called desperately, hearing the college student grunt in shock behind him.

Suddenly the carpets rose up in the air and started to move, as fast as a bullet train, through the passageway. Mulder and Jackson were yelling, their hearts in their throats, as they both traveled through the tunnel at full speed, struggling uselessly to free their hands and knees from the flying carpets.

At the end of the tunnel, light from a room shone brightly. The two men burst through the opening, covered by a gauzy curtain, to fly through the room. Their entrance was greeted by thunderous applause and cheers. Under them were Lord Skinner and Krycek and  six other wizards, all of them with leering grins on their faces.

"Gentlemen, I believe dessert has arrived!" Lord Skinner announced triumphantly. The flying carpets lowered, and as Mulder and Jackson flew past Krycek, the apprentice wizard grabbed the strings of each g-string to untie, rip off, and then throw over his shoulder. When Mulder and Jackson landed in the middle of the gathering, both were stark naked and still manacled to the carpet, which automatically adhered to the floor.

Mulder was in shock. "You son-of-a bitch!!!! What the hell do you think you're doing?!!!" he yelled at Skinner, pulling desperately on his manacles.

"My sweetest pet, I can certainly ask the same of you. Absolutely no escape attempts, remember?  Spanking and paddling don't seem to get through to you, so here you have it. An escape attempt that achieves the opposite effect, sending your delicious self down to us to thoroughly enjoy, along with your young friend, for as long as we so desire." Skinner proudly informed him, all the while looking him over hungrily.

Krycek and the other wizards laughed loudly and appreciatively. The brash slave and his companion were well and truly caught in a trap of their own making.

Mulder thought he was going to blow his circuits. "Are you kidding me????  You're going to share us with these friends of yours??? You callous bastard!!!"

"Such language for a slave. Well, let's call it part of your punishment, sweet one, to be forced to serve my fellow wizards. I would normally kill any man who looked at you twice, but these wizards are my brothers of the Sacred Ring. We are bonded together with a ritual as old as time itself. They would lay down their lives for me as I would for them. We have always been very generous towards each other, and I wish to reward them for their hard work today," smirked Skinner.

Jackson squeaked in shock. This kind of scene was way more than he'd bargained for. In spite of this, he found that he was still as hard as a rock and getting harder by the minute.

Mulder was stunned into absolute silence as the wizards circled them, gazing hungrily at their nude bodies. His body burned bright red with mortification. Hardly believing it, he felt his cock stir in response to the situation. "Skinner, did you put something in that meal?" he demanded hoarsely. "Damn it, I should have known!"

Lord Skinner laughed heartily. "It was the kaneer ale. Another one of my favorite potions, my love!  Your young friend certainly seemed to enjoy it!  It's not an aphrodisiac necessarily, just a little something to make you lose your inhibitions and act on your ñer, baser instincts. I should have guessed you wouldn't drink all of it, you do have an acute sense of intuition!"

He eyed Mulder. "We were wondering if you two were going to put on a little show before you made your escape, my friends and I, but perhaps it's best that you saved your energy!"

Mulder went wild, pulling desperately at the manacles that chained him to the rug. Instantly the hands of the wizards were upon him, petting and soothing. Two of the wizards stroked his back, while another stood behind him and ran his hands down his buttocks. Instead of calming Mulder, they only instilled a greater panic. He thrashed savagely and tried to throw them off.

Skinner, Krycek, and the wizards quickly stripped out of their tunics. Apparently there weren't going to be any formal introductions. Skinner's muscular torso overshadowed those of his fellow wizards, he was a majestic work of art, but each of his friends were comely in their own fashion. They all seemed to be exceptionally well-hung too, which made Mulder frantic. It was almost as if such endowments were a necessary requirement of becoming a wizard.

He craned his neck around to see Krycek starting to thrust into Jackson. Jackson's face was drawn back in a grimace of pleasure/pain. Mulder felt guilty about leading him into this predicament, for he now realized that Jackson's harassing behavior was probably due to the influence of the kaneer ale.

He also noticed that Jackson was very erect. He felt a sharp pang of irritation at watching the two of them. Krycek had his head thrown back with eyes closed and mouth partly open, his hands on Jackson's hips, with Jackson starting to thrust back against him. The two of them seemed to be getting into the action with no preamble.

They made a beautiful sight, and Mulder's cock stirred again in response. He was angry at this reaction and at the two of them, but he wasn't sure why.

"Gorgeous sight, aren't they?" Skinner breathed in his ear. "Shall we follow suit?"

"Go to hell!" Mulder reacted furiously.

"Tsk, tsk. Still fighting the inevitable, I see. I don't know how you are going to enjoy this, sweet one, but I'm putting a taran ring on your cock. You won't be able to come until I remove it through magic. However, there should be a certain. buildup of tension, so it won't be a total loss," Skinner responded haughtily.

He waved his hand over Mulder's semi-erect cock and a gleaming silver ring appeared just under the crown of his penis. Mulder squawked in amazement. It felt cold against his skin but seemed to be doing nothing. yet.

Skinner gazed at Mulder with a ravenous expression. "You've been a very naughty boy, Fox, and now you must pay the price!"

He ran his hands luxuriously all over Mulder's naked body with Mulder helpless to prevent it. He started at his shoulders and stroked down his back to his luscious bottom, the backs of his thighs, around to the front to his chest, over his abdominal muscles and then his groin. He relished his beautiful slave as he stroked Mulder's throbbing cock and chided himself for not considering this punishment earlier.

He stood behind Mulder and readied his cock with lubricant.

"Ah, Magnus, how nice of you to join us, my boy!"  Skinner suddenly greeted a handsome young wizard who stood in front of Mulder. Mulder eyed the newcomer with trepidation.

Magnus was boyish-looking with glossy auburn hair, an attractive lean-muscled build, and sporting a huge erection. He grabbed Mulder's chin with both hands and lifted his face up to him, ignoring Mulder's angry squawk. "Nice to meet you, beautiful Fox." he smiled maliciously, caressing his lower lip with both his thumbs. "You're everything your master described to us and more!  Now let's see you put that obstreperous mouth of yours to good use!"

As soon as he finished saying this, Skinner thrust into Mulder in one fell swoop. When Mulder opened his mouth to cry out, he gave Magnus ample opportunity to thrust in. He was speared at both ends, and both men started to thrust in and out in an ever-increasing rhythm.

Mulder tried unsuccessfully to bite Magnus' cock. Every time he tried, his jaw would lock automatically before he could injure the wizard. Magnus smirked down at him, letting him know that it was the result of his magic. He thrust in harder, enjoying the way Mulder's tongue writhed helplessly around his cock.

Before long Skinner's thrusts brought Mulder to a full erection. It was then that he discovered the insidious torture of the taran ring. No matter how hard he was, the taran ring kept him from release.

Out of the corner of his eye, Mulder could see the other wizards joining Jackson and Krycek, who were moaning and carrying on with sheer abandon. As they crowded around them, Mulder lost sight of the two men, when suddenly he saw two wizards approaching Mulder, Skinner and Magnus.

One of the wizards, a dark-haired, well-muscled man, addressed Mulder with a smile. "You think you're too good to be a slave. How wrong you are. I think, Lucas, this boy needs a lesson on how much of a slave he really is!"  Lucas laughed as the two wizards dropped to the floor.

The dark-haired wizard started to lick Mulder's balls and cock, sending him into a frenzy, as he was already hard but couldn't come from Skinner's taran ring. He sucked hard on Mulder's cock and fondled his balls, never letting up for one instant, oblivious to Mulder's muffled cries.

For his part, Lucas took each of Mulder's nipples and rolled them around between his thumb and forefinger until they were hard. He sucked on his right nipple while playing with the left one. He would then alternate, sucking on the left nipple and playing with the right one.

Mulder was being driven out of his mind by the relentless attention. Skinner thrust into him hard and deep, aiming his enormous cock against Mulder's prostate gland. The sensations were too much for him to handle, captivating but unbearably so. The constant sucking with not being allowed to come put him on the edge for way longer than should be humanly possible, as did the nipple play and Skinner's massive cock thrusting hard against his prostate. It felt very much like a continual orgasm, but not quite, and his attempts to cry out only allowed Magnus to thrust in deeper down his throat.

Suddenly Skinner froze with a groan, and Mulder felt his large cock spurting deep inside him. However, he realized to his horror that Skinner was still hard and starting to thrust again.

"That was lovely, sweet one," he murmured. "So lovely I want to repeat it all over again!"

The other wizards laughed and continued to torment poor Mulder. They used mindreading to find his most sensitive spots and touched them continuously. Lucas switched places with the dark-haired wizard and swirled his tongue all over the head of Mulder's cock, which was acutely sensitive due to his need to come. When Mulder tried to scream, Magnus came, spurting deep into his throat.

After that, Magnus switched places with the dark-haired wizard, who immediately held Mulder's cheeks and thrust his erection deep into Mulder's mouth. Mulder again tried to bite him with no success.

The orgy went on for hours. At one point Krycek and the other wizards surrounded him, and it was Krycek who mounted him. Krycek rode him hard, completely uncaring of the fact that Mulder's buttocks were still inflamed from the spanking. This slave needed to be taught a lesson from the moment Krycek had laid eyes on him, and Krycek intended to see that he got it!

Mulder was so erect and so desperate to come that he was ready to do anything. He pulled frantically at his manacles and prayed for release. He'd been denied release for hours, and the constant attention paid to his cock had kept him hard as hell.

Unbeknownst to Mulder, the two men embraced and kissed each other deeply with tongues probing over Mulder's back as they fucked him. Krycek finally came with a muffled roar, shooting deep into Mulder's bowels. In response to Krycek coming, the wizard who was thrusting into Mulder's mouth also came, crying out his joy as he spurted into his mouth. Then both of them withdrew, and Lord Skinner stood before him.

"Sweet one, I do believe you are in need of a bit of relief. Am I right, would you like a bit of relief?"

Mulder was ready to scream. Yet he maintained his self-control and refused to demean himself by responding.

Skinner chuckled affectionately. "I do believe Colwyn was accurate, my love. You think you're too good to be a slave. It is my opinion that your lesson needs to be revised and expanded somewhat. I propose a game to you, one in which the prize will be of great consequence to us both."

Mulder regarded him with suspicion and hostility. He had no idea what Lord Skinner was talking about and had no desire to learn.

Skinner spoke. "I will remove the taran ring from your cock," he said in a matter-of-fact tone,  "You will be able to come, which should be easy since you've been kept on the edge for hours. However, there is a catch. If you come, you prove to yourself, me, Master Krycek, and the rest of this noble gathering, that you are a slave. You are meant to be a slave, mainly my slave, and will always be a slave, and you will accept that fate as my slave for the rest of our days. You will never try to escape again, and you will follow every rule or order that I put before you. You will not resist when I or anyone else of my selection wish to enjoy your scrumptious body and your talents to the fullest extent imaginable. On the other hand, if you do not come, I promise to not only set you and your young companion free but to help you find your way home through the vortex. Agreed?"

Mulder stared at him with eyes bulging in horror. He forgot to breathe as he considered Skinner's words, oblivious to the gasps of malicious laughter around him. Krycek was especially thrilled with the current turn of events. His master was truly brilliant in concocting such a devious plan.

The only one who wasn't pleased was Jackson. He felt very sorry for the agent and regretted his prior behavior towards him. In spite of these feelings, however, Skinner's words caused his cock to swell immediately to a full-blown erection, even after having experienced five mind-shattering orgasms at the hands of the wizards. He felt extremely guilty about this reaction, he never thought of himself as a sadist, but the vision of the stunning agent being made to suffer that way was a powerful turn-on.

Lord Skinner was fully aware of Jackson's reaction. He turned to Jackson and said, "Your punishment, my blond treasure, will be to watch Fox suffer. You're correct in that assumption, he'll suffer all right, but *you* will not be allowed any release. Instead of the taran ring, you shall watch us deal with him with your hands tied quite tightly over your head."

When Jackson also gaped at him in horror, Skinner continued. "You knew very well that you shouldn't have followed Fox through that passageway. You are being punished not only for trying to escape, but for ignoring your own good common sense!"

Mulder finally discovered his voice. "Skinner, you can't do this!  It's-it's completely unjust!  I'm on the edge, I've been that way for hours, you, you kept me that way. I won't be able to hold back, you bastard, you *know* that this is an unfair contest!!!"  The way he felt now was that if Skinner so much as breathed on his cock without the taran ring, he'd come.

Lord Skinner stroked his chin and looked thoughtful, as if he were considering a weighty decision. "As I told you before, my pet, it has nothing to do with justice. However, I see what you mean. How about this: we only attend to you for the period of one hour. I will remove the taran ring and give you five minutes to get control of yourself. Thenó" he smiled evilly, "we get to work!"

"You goddamn, motherfucking bastard!" Mulder wailed in despair. Then he shut his mouth. As Skinner regarded him with folded arms and a raised eyebrow, he never felt so helpless in his whole life. The wizard lord held all the cards, every one of them. he obviously couldn't escape, and now Skinner was using this sham game to bind Mulder to him even further.

However, should he actually win the game, the reward was not to be taken lightly. To go home!  Back to his world, back to Scully, back to his job!  While this Skinner seemed to be lacking the moral streak of his ex-boss (and even he had his moments), Mulder was hopeful that if he won the game Lord Skinner would indeed help send them home. In spite of everything he'd done to Mulder, Skinner seemed to take an almost perverse pleasure in showing that he was a man who was true to his word. Mulder couldn't go home without the help of a wizard, and Lord Skinner was his only hope.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sight of the wizards erecting what looked like a scaffolding. They were moving the wood beams around with their powers. As the structure was being built, Mulder realized that it was almost a carbon copy of the one that he'd been tied to on the slave block, with two beams coming up from the floor and a large crossbeam, forming an H. Only this structure was smaller, with a crossbeam that was lower to the floor. Ropes with manacles hung from the tops and bottoms of the structure.

"You are *not* tying me to that thing!" Mulder ranted.

Lord Skinner froze him with a look. "You are quite welcome, my pet, to forego the whole enterprise. I should warn you, though, that this offer will never come up again, and I shall think of other punishments. I am weary of your belligerence and your escape attempts. The only one who will win that game is me."

Mulder's heart sank. He realized that he didn't have any choice but to accept Skinner's challenge. Numbly he let Krycek and Magnus remove his restraints and lead him up from the mat. The two wizards led him over to the scaffold, where they manacled his hands and feet to the top and bottom of the H-shaped structure. The wooden beam pressed against Mulder's lower back, causing his genitals to protrude slightly outward.

Mulder swallowed nervously. Jackson was released from his carpet and brought struggling over to a post directly in front of Mulder. The two wizards then secured him to the post with his hands directly above him. The poor college student was blushing profusely with an immense erection that showed no signs of going down.

Lord Skinner stood in front of Mulder. He snapped his fingers, and an enormous hourglass materialized on a small table to his left. He waved his hand and the taran ring disappeared from Mulder's cock, leaving him feeling terribly vulnerable.

"Five minutes, my sweet. Five minutes, and then your resilience will be put to the test," Skinner informed him grimly.

Mulder shut his eyes. He thought of the most unsexy events imaginable. He thought of Samantha's disappearance, which was guaranteed to depress him twenty-four hours a day. Or Scully, after she collapsed in the Bureau meeting with her nose bleeding, lying in her hospital bed wan and sick from her cancer, Skinner confronting him outside her hospital room. Skinner. stay away from that, Mulder!  He imagined liver-eating mutants, saltwater-inhabiting worms, and then the giant alien insect stalking him as he lay on the hospital bed, strapped down and helpless. Strapped down.

Mulder groaned to himself. Things weren't progressing the way he'd hoped!  He'd been on the edge too long, and his efforts to dampen that arousal weren't as successful as he'd like. At the end of the five minutes, his cock was softened but still half-hard.

Mulder gritted his teeth, thinking, I'm in charge of my body, I'll be damned if I let this guy control me!  He was determined to regain his freedom and return to his world. He would win any sadistic game that Skinner forced him to play.

His eyes flew open as he felt something on the base of his cock. It was a feather!  Lord Skinner had conjured up six feathers, each held by a different wizard, and he was currently tickling Mulder's cock.

"Nooooooo," Mulder protested, but it came out as a moan. He'd always been fairly ticklish and refused to let any of his girlfriends tickle him, not finding it especially pleasant.

Skinner ignored him and moved onto his balls. Mulder jumped. He hadn't realized that his balls were so ticklish. He instinctively tried to thrust backwards away from the feather, but his movement was blocked by the crossbeam at the small of his back.

Both Colwyn and Lucas joined Skinner in tickling Mulder. They concentrated on his abdomen and sides. Mulder started writhing and laughing, as his sides were his most vulnerable spots.

One by one the wizards approached the defenseless slave. Working as a team, each wizard selected a different part of his body to torment. They tickled his armpits, his nipples, his neck, stomach, thighs, constantly changing position. After forty minutes of this treatment,  Mulder was hysterical with laughter, tears running down his cheeks, writhing and kicking futilely. His need to have an orgasm increased with the heartless tickling, and he was now deeply worried that he wouldn't be able to hold out against the torture.

He was by now fully erect. "HA, HA, HA, this isn't fair, Skinner!" Mulder sputtered angrily as they tickled him,  "AH HA, HA, HA, HA, there are too many of you!  What the hell kind of contest is this!"

Skinner waved the other wizards away. He turned to Mulder. "You now have only myself and Master Krycek to attend you, my love," he smiled sweetly, "but that is my only concession. However, you will have only our concentrated attention for the remaining twenty minutes, judging by the hourglass, so I don't know if that was a wise decision."

Twenty minutes!  The news that he had that much time left made Mulder want to jump right out of his skin. He did jump only seconds later when he felt Skinner's feather on the very tip of his cock.

"YAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" he yelled, thrashing wildly in his bonds. The scaffold swayed but held strong. The other wizards had left his cock alone up until now, but with the all the other teasing, the sensation of the feather on his cock was now so intense that he couldn't stand it. He squirmed desperately to avoid it.

Skinner placidly stroked his cock, swirling the feather all around the head, up and down the length of his cock, then around it. Before long, Mulder was yelling, trying frantically to move away from him. His bonds held fast, and just when he realized that he wouldn't be able to hold out against Skinner's onslaught, he felt something tickling his anus.

"NO!" he shouted helplessly. Krycek answered him with "Feels lovely, doesn't it, little Fox!  You should see yourself right now, what an extraordinary sight!  Remind me to do this more often," he sighed blissfully. He loved the way Mulder's anus twitched and his buttocks  tightened as he ran the feather up and down and around the hypersensitive area.

Mulder was now being attacked from front and back. He felt like he was going insane!  The crossbeam forced his genitals to jut outward as if they were an offering to Skinner and prevented him from moving them away, while his spread-eagled position left his most secret place totally vulnerable to Krycek's tickling.

As if that wasn't bad enough, situated directly in front of Mulder Jackson was writhing helplessly on his post.

Jackson was in hell. His erection was huge and red but not a single wizard paid any attention to him. The sight of Mulder being tickled, of his fantastic body writhing helplessly on the scaffold, and now of his cock and anus being tickled, had aroused Jackson almost to the point of no return. Jackson couldn't stand it. He was desperate to come, shuddering and thrusting his groin into the empty air. He periodically slammed his head back against the post in sobbing frustration.

Even in his torment, the irony of the situation didn't escape Mulder. He was desperate *not* to come, and Skinner and Krycek were doing everything possible to make him come. Jackson was desperate to come, and no one touched him. It was punishment all right, Lord Skinner's own special brand of Hades torments!

Puddles of sweat dripped off Mulder's body, and his jaw was painful as he gritted his teeth hard to keep from coming. Or screaming!  He was a hair breadth away from orgasm. He looked over at the hourglass. He was no expert at reading the things, but he estimated that it wasn't long before his time would be up. He'd make it. He had to!

Suddenly his confidence evaporated as he felt Skinner's mouth on his cock. Skinner sucked him hard with his powerful jaws, and at the same moment, Krycek dropped his feather, parted Mulder's reddened cheeks, and dove in with his tongue. It was too much. Mulder screamed at the top of his lungs under the double assault, even more incendiary than the feathers, and came. . .and came. . and CAME. his cock pulsing and jetting into Skinner's mouth with such explosive force that it stunned and nearly choked the crafty wizard. Never in his entire life had Mulder experienced such mind-blowing ecstasy. every fiber of his being resonated with the force of that orgasm. As Skinner steadied himself by spreading his large hands on Mulder's straining thighs, Mulder felt himself begin to black out.

When it was finally over, Mulder hung limply in his bonds, unconscious. In front of him, Jackson was panting heavily, his body shiny with sweat, just watching Mulder come had sent him over the edge too, causing him to experience one of the most intense orgasms of his life. His cock dripped onto the stone floor as he stood, astonished that he had come just from watching the beautiful agent climax so powerfully.

Lord Skinner got to his feet wearing a smug expression. He looked over at the hourglass, watching as the last grains of sand poured out. He spoke aloud to the unconscious Mulder. "You see, my love, you're made to be my slave. It is your destiny. You will most likely defy me again, I have no doubts on that score, but you cannot escape your destiny. I won't let you. You'll never be free of me, never in this or any other lifetime."

He picked up some smelling salts from the table and waved them under Mulder's nose. As the agent stirred and groaned, Lord Skinner turned to the awestruck crowd.

"Gentlemen," he said, "There are still two hours until dawn. I suggest we put the night to further use!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Two Days Later**    
 **Krycek's Bedchamber**    
 **Skinner's Palac** e

"Come on, Fox!  I don't want to have to use the salve on you or a love spell!" coaxed Krycek. "When will you stop fighting us?"

"Damn you, Alex!  When the two of you leave me the hell alone!  How would you like it if you were whisked away to a strange world, and you were enslaved by alternates of people you knew!  I've told you before and I'll tell you again, I'm not your goddamn sex toy!  I'll escape, damn both of you, if it's the last thing I do!"  Mulder ranted.

The two of them were lying naked in Krycek's bed in a remote section of Skinner's palace. Lord Skinner was downstairs working with his fellow wizards on shielding spells to protect Ondolee against Draco's threatened attacks. Reports of strange-looking soldiers on the borders of Ondolee's region had recently been circulating, and the men of the village had taken up arms to patrol the outskirts of the village at dusk. Children were forbidden to play far from the village, and the atmosphere in the once lively Ondolee region was tense and oppressive, with the threat of impending war in the air.

At least this is what was conveyed to Mulder. He hadn't been permitted to leave the palace yet, not even under guard, as Lord Skinner did not trust him enough and was too busy to convey him anywhere himself. Mulder was currently naked and chained to Krycek's bed with a solid gold chain and collar.

After the night-long orgy, Mulder and Jackson had been separated again. Mulder slept for the better part of a day in Skinner's chambers, and was roused only for meals, baths, and massages, restoring vigor to his depleted body. Lord Skinner pretty much left him alone, allowing him time to recover, but he had decided to further restrain his upstart slave with the new addition of the collar and chain. Now if Mulder wanted to go anywhere outside the range of the chain, he needed to have someone unlock it for him.

It was also insurance that Mulder was ready and waiting for Skinner when he took to his bed. Mulder begged Skinner to take it off, but Skinner refused.

"When you show me that you're capable of following orders, my sweet, I'll remove it, but not a minute before," he growled, pulling Mulder down onto the bed. Mulder's protests were lost as usual in the frenzy of Skinner's passion. His master had no problem maneuvering him into position after position with the chain in place. On the contrary, the presence of the collar and chain just seemed to stoke the fires of his passion even higher.

Mulder groaned inwardly. The possibility of escape was seeming more and more remote. He estimated that he and Jackson had been imprisoned in Skinner's palace for just about a week now, and he had no prospects for returning home.

Mulder thought for a minute. "Alex, do you think..."

"Forget it!"  Krycek snarled. "Why in god's name do you think I would ever help you escape?  Why in the world would I do that?  You're mine, you belong to me, when will you get that through your thick head?"

"Oh really?  Here I thought I belonged to Lord Skinner!" Mulder snorted.

"You belong to both of us, you damn brat. My lord honors me when he shares you with me. I feel a great love and respect for Lord Skinner, as he does for me. You must come from a strange world indeed, to think that love is so exclusive. I love you with my heart and soul, and you spurn that love. Cruelty begets cruelty, little Fox, don't forget that. When you infuriate me, or Lord Skinner, by trying to escape or refuse our love, we respond in kind, so you shouldn't be surprised at the punishments you receive!"  Krycek scolded.

Mulder sighed. "You're talking in riddles, Alex!  You say love shouldn't be exclusive, yet I'm enslaved!  What the hell does that mean?  Neither of you gives me a choice in anything you make me do!"

Krycek grinned lecherously. "You *shouldn't* have a choice, Fox, if that choice is to shun our love and admiration for you. That perfect body -- when I first saw that body, I thought, now there's a man who  absolutely requires fucking every night -- at least. Then I find out from Andreas that you're a virgin with men. Imagine my shock!  It is your own luck to be in this situation, you're lucky to be owned by such a wonderful master as Lord Skinner. Just think if Draco had frequented that auction!  What would your enslavement be like then, hmmm?"

"I shouldn't be enslaved at all!  That's my point!" Mulder snarled. Really, the man was impossible, as bad as his counterpart, bending the truth to fit his own selfish ends.

"I think Lord Skinner has already proved that to you. That delicious body of yours thrives on the attention it receives. You are made to be a slave. Perhaps we need another demonstration?" Krycek smirked.

"No! Forget it! Arguing with you is like trying to find your way out of a wet paper bag! Just forget it!" Mulder exclaimed.

"Come now, Fox," Krycek cajoled, "Let's not fight. Can't you see how much I adore you?  Look at the effect you have on me -- I don't know if I've ever been so hard. Let me make love to you. Lord Skinner was so generous as to let you stay in my bed tonight, while he works all night with our fellow wizards, so let us make the most of this delicious time together."

Mulder glared at him. "Not on your life!"

Krycek sighed to himself. Why did Mulder always have to be so difficult?  Sex with him was always a battleground. However, it usually didn't take long for his little pet to succumb to his skillful attention.

Krycek leaned forward and started kissing Mulder's neck. When Mulder tried to push him away, Krycek pushed him back against the bed, keeping him in place with his weight. He was stronger than Mulder, but he really didn't want to have to subdue him physically, preferring instead to tantalize his victim into submission.

He nuzzled and lapped at Mulder's neck with short, hot strokes. Mulder moaned. Krycek lowered his hands until they rested on Mulder's nipples, which he proceeded to tease until the little brown nubs stood erect. When Mulder placed his hands on his shoulders to push Krycek off of him, his adversary knocked his hands off, and lowered himself onto Mulder's abdomen.

He scooped his tongue into Mulder's navel, flitting his tongue in and out of the sensitive little hollow, causing Mulder to squirm and moan helplessly. From there he left a hot, wet trail all the way down to Mulder's groin area. Then, without further warning, he lowered his face to Mulder's groin and proceeded to suck his cock.

Mulder cried out. His cock was ultra-sensitive from all the unwanted attention and hardened instantly. Krycek sucked him with rigorous up-and-down strokes, then swirled his tongue all around the head of his cock, bringing about the most exquisite of sensations.

Mulder whimpered and pulled half-heartedly at Krycek's hair. "Get off me, Alex!"

Krycek knocked his hand away and increased the strength of his strokes. Before long Mulder felt an incredible orgasm gathering deep in his balls. He cried out as he felt it surge its way up through the length of his cock and explode from his glans into Krycek's hot, ravaging mouth. Krycek kept up the strong suction on Mulder's cock, milking him dry until Mulder finally roared and dislodged Krycek by tugging violently on his hair. Once Krycek's mouth was off him, Mulder promptly rolled over on his stomach as if to shield himself.

"Jesus, Alex, lay off me already!  What do you want, blood?" he gasped into the pillow.

Krycek lay on one side and regarded him with a smarmy grin. "No, but I'll take your body and soul," he purred silkily. He reached under Mulder's chin and turned his face towards him. The look in his eyes made Mulder want to shrink away, reminding him of some feral jungle beast.

When Krycek then reached down to stroke his back, Mulder moaned softly. The unstoppable lust and unwavering assumption of ownership with which both Krycek and Skinner regarded him made Mulder feel like running for the nearest underground shelter and barricading himself in. The only underground shelter in this world would probably be a cave. He would stockpile rations and never emerge again.

Krycek chuckled softly. He couldn't read Mulder's thoughts completely yet but he got most of it. It amused him how skittish Mulder was about all the sexual attention he was getting. Both he and Lord Skinner were entranced by their new toy, and in Krycek's opinion, their ardent devotion was still way less than he deserved.

With his free hand, Krycek snatched up the flask of oil that lay on his bedside table. Mulder started when he saw him do this, fully aware of what was coming next, but Krycek continued to stroke his back soothingly.

"Ssshhh, sweet one, I won't hurt you. I know what you need, let me give it to you," he murmured seductively.

Mulder considered a right hook to Krycek's stomach but then there was the small matter of being chained to Krycek's bed. He was glancing around for items that could be used as implements to free himself when he suddenly felt the soft lave of Krycek's tongue at his opening. He gasped aloud, and Krycek immediately pressed Mulder's thighs flat against the bed, preventing his captive from writhing away from him.

"Damn it, Krycek, you need to find some hobbies! Jesus, stop it, noooo!!!!" Mulder moaned, clutching at the bedclothes. The pleasure was both enervating and inescapable as usual. Each stroke of Krycek's tongue reverberated throughout his body.

Krycek smiled to himself as he flicked his tongue up and down against Mulder's anus. He had observed how responsive Mulder was to most physical sensations but he seemed especially vulnerable to this one, and Krycek always enjoyed inflicting this particular torment on him.

Mulder's gasps quickly turned to cries as Krycek's tongue darted deep into him, in and out. Like a snake, Mulder thought. He tried desperately to fight the blissful sensations caused by Krycek's ministrations and failed, feeling his cock rise once again.

Krycek felt a smug satisfaction as he felt the last shred of Mulder's resistance ebb away. He paused only to coat himself with the oil and to quickly lubricate Mulder's anus with it. Crouching low over his victim, he positioned his cock over Mulder's tender opening and thrust his cock in to the root.

Mulder cried out as he felt Krycek thrust in so abruptly. He whimpered and tried to rise up off the bed only to be pressed back down onto the bedclothes as Krycek bore down on him with all his weight. He grabbed Mulder's wrists and splayed him flat against the bed. Krycek then proceeded to pound into Mulder, grunting with the force of his thrusts, skin slapping against skin, as he was driven beyond all control.

Against his will Mulder felt himself lifting his hips up, meeting Krycek thrust for thrust. His prostate gland was so tender by this time that each rough thrust sent shock waves of incredible pleasure emanating out from this overly-sensitive place. He emitted loud panting cries as Krycek wrapped his arms around his waist and rode him for all he was worth, reaching below to seize Mulder's hard cock and pump it hard in time with his thrusts.

No matter how many times Krycek took Mulder that night, his desire for him continued unabated, a ravaging, all-consuming fire that threatened to destroy everything in his path. At one point he leaned over to gasp in Mulder's ear, "And who's bewitching who, sweet one?  I think you've cast a spell on me, I can never get enough of you!"  Mulder cried out at these words and came, spraying his semen onto the downy white sheets. When Mulder's rectal muscles contracted around Krycek's cock, he came with loud cries, his cock pulsing and spurting into Mulder in an endless current of pure bliss.

Both men rolled back on the bed, exhausted and spent. Krycek placed his hand on the back of Mulder's head and kissed him deeply. For once Mulder didn't resist him, not only letting Krycek plunder his mouth but responding equally with his own passion.

Krycek finally broke off the kiss and gazed affectionately at his slave. "You are so incredibly beautiful," he murmured. "You really have no idea how beautiful you are."

Mulder was wondering about his own reaction to Krycek. Perhaps the days of incessant attention and lovemaking were finally getting to him. Or maybe he was experiencing Stockholm syndrome in full blast. He realized that both Krycek and Skinner were probably breaking him, not with a whip or paddle, but with sleep deprivation, constant mind-blowing physical pleasure and relentless attention. Mulder had no desire to remain their slave and was still determined to escape. On the other hand, he couldn't help but admit to himself that Alex Krycek was a glorious sight, lying spent and naked beside him .

Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by a loud inhuman roaring on the other side of Krycek's door. Both men jumped, and as swift as a cat Krycek swooped down to grab his sword out from under the bed.

"What the fuck was that???" Mulder yelled.

"Fox, stay still!  Make yourself as small a target as possible, I mean it!" Krycek commanded. He leaped out of bed and poised at the ready, huge sword in hand. He looked like a beautiful, naked savage ready to do battle with whatever was threatening his lover.

Mulder was frightened. "Alex, get Lord Skinner!  You don't know what's out there!"

"I can't summon him here, my magic isn't strong enough!  Just stay still and do as I say!"  Krycek shouted as whatever-it-was started heaving itself against the door. The hinges groaned and bulged outward with each thud, giving a little bit more each time.

Desperately Mulder tugged at the chain on his collar. "Take the chain off!  Alex, the chain!"

Before Krycek could reply, the door burst inward and splinters of wood went flying everywhere. All of a sudden the creature who had been pounding against the door burst into the room. Mulder nearly fainted. It was a Cyclops!  The creature was around nine-feet tall and had one huge eye in the middle of its forehead, which it immediately focused on Mulder.

Roaring, the Cyclops lunged for the bed, causing Mulder to nearly jump right out of his skin, but Krycek moved quickly. Swinging the sword high over his head, he chopped off the creature's head as it leaned towards Mulder, sending it crashing to the floor and spraying Mulder and the bed with its blood.

"Jesus Christ!" Mulder exclaimed, frantically trying to get away from the gore. "What the hell was that?"

The creature's blood poured onto the floor in great rivulets. The body twitched as its nervous system gave out, while the big eye stared impassively up at its killer and intended victim.

"It's a Cyclops! A conjured creature of the netherworld!  And I bet I know who sent it!" Krycek responded grimly. He would give anything to slice his sword all the way through Draco's neck right now.

"What in god's name was he trying to accomplish?" Mulder exclaimed. He hated the way the Cyclops had focused on him, completely oblivious to the fact that Krycek was wielding a sword.

"I don't know. What I do know is I have to get Lord Skinner and get him fast!" Krycek responded, bounding out of the room.

Mulder gaped after him. "Alex, Alex!  You didn't unchain me!  Alex!" He couldn't believe Krycek had left him alone with a dead Cyclops, even for a few minutes!  He dove for the bedside table, trying desperately to find something to work through the lock.

Mulder found a small metal comb and immediately started trying to bend back its teeth. While he was in the midst of this task, he suddenly noticed a shadow fall over the bed. Casually he glanced up and immediately froze in terror.

An enormous winged creature stood over the bed. It was covered with a loose gray skin, and had human arms and a face, grotesque though it was, with a great hooked nose and chin. The creature opened its mouth and cackled malignantly as it noticed Mulder's terror.

The sight was too much for Mulder's already greatly taxed state of mind. He screamed, getting up from the bed to try to get away from the creature, but the range of chain only allowed him to run a few feet from the bed. The gargoyle chuckled delightedly as it followed and grabbed him, effortlessly gathering up its struggling prey in its arms. The creature then broke the chain connecting Mulder to the bed with a snap.

"Alex! Alex! Help me!" Mulder screamed hopelessly before the gargoyle slapped its hand over his mouth.

Treading quickly towards the open window, it jumped lightly up onto the ledge and then leaped over the sill, spreading its majestic wings as it sailed off into the night with a hysterical Fox Mulder in its arms. Mulder quickly stopped struggling as he saw how far above the ground they were and shut his eyes in hopeless misery.

At the moment the gargoyle flew off, Lord Skinner and Krycek materialized in the room. Skinner immediately realized what was happening and ran to the window, only to see the great creature quickly disappearing into the night. He yelled and cursed with a fury that was loud enough to wake the dead.

"Alex! That damned thing has taken Fox! It must be taking him to Draco's castle, we've got to rescue him!" Skinner exclaimed.

"All the way to Westfalia!  How are we going to get there fast enough!" Krycek countered. The region was at least a day's journey by horse, and he was greatly agitated as to what would happen to Fox in that time.

Skinner considered briefly. "I'll have conjure up my own means of rapid transport. I haven't done such a thing before, but we have no choice. Let's go back down to the other wizards, they'll help me. We've got to go and retrieve him as quickly as possible, otherwise there will be nothing left when Draco's finished with him!"

 **Five Minutes Later**    
 **Skinner's Meeting Room**    
 **Skinner's Palace**

The wizards quickly conferred with each other over Mulder's predicament. It was agreed that Skinner and Krycek needed powerful spells to break through the enchantment of Draco's castle and rescue Mulder.

Skinner looked through an ancient book of spells. "Here is a wielding spell that I can use to break through the Wall of Ice that surrounds the castle. It has been used in the past to penetrate walls and other obstructions. I have never tried it before, and I have no idea if it will work, but I must make the effort for Fox's sake."

Colwyn spoke. "My lord, you need to be able to catch him unawares, otherwise the spell to vanquish him or even enter the castle won't help you, and the results will be disastrous!"

"Let me go alone, my lord," Krycek pleaded. "It will do Ondolee no good at all should Draco capture or kill you!"

"No, Alex, I cannot allow that. You don't have enough training to defeat Draco yet, I would be sending a lamb to slaughter or worse. What would I do without either of you!  My life would turn to ashes," Skinner replied soberly. He appreciated Krycek's sentiment but felt that the boy was a mere babe-in-the-woods when it came to dealing with such a powerful and evil wizard.

Suddenly Edward appeared at the doorway. "My lord, there are three gentlemen who say they are wizards who wish to meet with you."

"Show them in, Edward. Perhaps they have come to help us."

Edward returned a moment later, followed by the three men. They stood awkwardly in the middle of the room until Skinner looked up from his book of spells and acknowledged them.

The first wizard was a short, squat man with spectacles perched amusingly on the end of his nose. He was attired in a stained and rumpled purple tunic.

The second wizard had long, flowing blonde hair. He wore a turquoise tunic with an elaborate multicolored phoenix stitched onto the chest.

The third wizard sported a short, well-groomed beard and was elegantly dressed, garbed in a plain and simple dark blue tunic.

The first wizard spoke. "Lord Skinner, we come from a small village on the outskirts of Ondolee, called Modula. Rumor has it that Draco is planning an attack on our village as well, to conquer it along with Ondolee, could this be true?"

Skinner scowled darkly at them. The three meek wizards looked like fools to him, and he felt an urge to treat them accordingly. "Gentlemen, I fear you are being overly apprehensive. Draco's quarrel is with me and Ondolee, I fear that you've made your journey for nothing, he has conveyed no desire to conquer your tiny village."

"Ah, he hasn't conveyed that impression, but who knows what the evil villain is plotting with his minions!  Or with the powers of surrounding countries! Perhaps his plan is to threaten Ondolee, and then attack Modula when we are caught off guard, as our fair village is a rich source of knowledge and resources. We have many inventions and secrets that I daresay would make him a vastly powerful wizard!" the small wizard responded earnestly.

Krycek was consternated by the three wizards. They seemed utterly ridiculous, and if he wasn't so worried about Mulder, he would have found them hilarious. As it was, he was angry and wanted them to leave so they could figure out a way to rescue Mulder.

Lord Skinner, however, immediately lost his patience. "Gentlemen, I have no time to listen to these groundless theories of collusion and connivance!  I need to make a long journey to Westfalia as quickly as possible to rescue my slave from Draco's castle, and I strongly suggest that you go back to where you came from, or I'll give you reason to be afraid!"

The three wizards looked at each other. They started whispering amongst themselves, as Skinner and Krycek gazed at each other in disbelief.

The small wizard then turned to Lord Skinner. "Westfalia is over a day's journey from here."

"That is correct, therefore I need to leave forthwith, as soon as I devise a method of conveyance," Skinner replied brusquely.

The small wizard thought for a minute. "Well, in that case, perhaps you are in need of -- .this!"  He then held up his hands and rays of light sprang from them to hit the floor several feet besides them. The rays joined in a blurring mass of light, which shattered to reveal a huge winged white horse, stomping and snorting, tethered to a beam in the midst of Skinner's meeting room.

The other wizards cried out with sounds of wonder and amazement. Lord Skinner was dumbfounded. "What is this magnificent creature that you just summoned?" he exclaimed.

"Her name is Melophomene," responded the small wizard. "She's a good steed, she has served my family well all these years. Treat her kindly, and she will ride in good stead to Westfalia for you to retrieve your slave."

Lord Skinner was embarrassed about his petulant treatment of the wizards and humbled by their skill. "Thank you so much, gentlemen!  Your generosity overwhelms me."

The wizard with the beard responded. "Think nothing of it, Lord Skinner. You have allayed our fears about Modula, and we wish to offer you our support."

"Support!  You've done more than that, you've saved our Fox!  I'll never forget this, gentlemen, nor your exemplary talents," Skinner replied as he mounted the horse.

The three wizards all looked at each other, pleased with themselves. "Yes," responded the blond wizard, "I suppose we do possess a certain skill."

As Krycek quickly mounted behind Lord Skinner, he turned back to the three wizards.

"How is it that such powerful wizards fear an invasion?" he asked, puzzled.

The small wizard merely shrugged. "It never hurts to be prepared," he replied.

The enormous windows to Lord Skinner's meeting room opened wide. Melophomene reared and whinnied, knowing she was about to embark on an important journey. Lucas ran over to untie the horse, and she approached the windows at full gallop and jumped through them, spreading her enormous wings once she reached the outside. She immediately flew up into the heavens overlooking the magnificent grounds surrounding Skinner's palace, and the wizards quickly lost sight of them.

 **Several Hours Later**    
 **Dungeon**    
 **Draco's Castle**

In a dark and cold dungeon in Draco's castle, dimly lit by torches on the wall, Mulder stood spreadeagled in the middle of the room. His arms were chained over his head and his feet to the floor. Draco faced him, gazing at the exhausted and frightened Mulder with a gloating expression.

"Well, well, my pretty!" Draco snickered, eyeing the dried semen on Mulder's belly and upper thighs,   "I see Lord Skinner and his catamite of a wizard's apprentice have been keeping you busy!  All the better, to have you well trained for use by your new master!"

When the gargoyle had flown up to the dark castle with Mulder in his arms, Mulder could see that the imposing edifice was completely encased in solid ice. However, the gargoyle had flown through the wall of ice with no hindrance and had deposited Mulder only moments before at the entrance.

Draco's guards had immediately grabbed him and dragged him down to the dungeon. The end result was that Mulder's nude body was now on display for Draco's slavering delectation.

Draco was quite delighted with his new acquisition. He had lusted after the unlucky agent from the first moment he had laid eyes on him. The battle to conquer Ondolee was almost secondary to obtaining this prize possession. Everything about the stranger was perfect; his full, luscious lips, distinctive profile, elegant bone structure, and lush body with its fine muscle tone, long legs, firm buttocks, and prodigious cock.

Mulder shuddered as the evil wizard looked him over. Even in his most terrible nightmares, he couldn't imagine a more unpalatable situation. Lord Skinner was the embodiment of his ex-boss, but Draco -- Draco looked *exactly* like cigarette-smoking man, the man he hated most in the entire world!  And here he was, chained naked and defenseless before him, with Draco looking like a ravenous mountain lion sizing up the proverbial fatted calf!

Mulder finally spoke, trying to keep his voice steady. "They know I'm missing, Draco, you won't get away with this!  If I know Lord Skinner, he knows exactly where that flying monster took me, and I wouldn't want to be in your shoes when they get here!"

Draco snorted. "Oh really, my pretty?  You really have that much faith in your country lord?  How flattering to him. I have a bit of news for you, my young friend, Lord Skinner may seem all-powerful to you, as a stranger from a less than magical land, but his magic is not as potent as it seems. Oh no, my pet, he won't be finding you anytime soon!  And if he does, there is no way he'll be able to penetrate the Wall of Ice that I erected around the castle. I installed that barrier years ago, it is created from an ancient spell known only by my forebears, and it doesn't permit anyone to enter without my approval."

Draco watched with fiendish glee as the last shred of hope died in Mulder's eyes. He couldn't wait to establish complete mastery over his unruly slave.

"Now then," he cooed, rubbing his hands with delight, "It is my belief that Lord Skinner was way too permissive with you, my dear. You won't have the run of my household the way you did of his. I'm afraid that you are in need of a great deal of discipline, my pet, and I am doubly afraid that I'm going to be the one to give it to you."

Draco turned to the rack that was hanging on a nearby wall. It was loaded with implements that Mulder had no desire to become acquainted with, such as whips, pincers, branding irons, pokers, and vises of all sizes. Draco chose a many-headed whip from the rack, a cat o' nine tails, and casually shook out the strands.

He faced Mulder with a sly expression on his face. "My pretty, I have only one question for you:  Who is your master?"

"No one!  No one!  I'm my own master, damn it!" Mulder insisted, his throat dry with fear.

"My dear boy, that's not the answer I'm looking for. You belong to me, don't you see?  I summoned Maccariah from the underworld and ordered him to bring you to me. And so here you are, chained naked and shivering in my dungeon. You really plan on defying me?  How absurd!"  Draco chuckled.

He started lightly tapping the palm of his other hand with the whip handle, as if he were itching to use it, ignoring how Mulder followed it with his eyes. "Once again, who is your master?"

Mulder swallowed. "No one! I said no one!"

Draco smiled. This slave was really going to give him a run for his dukats. "Wrong answer."

Draco positioned himself behind Mulder. The slave held himself completely still, hardly even breathing. Draco admired the sleek back and pert buttocks, completely unmarked by any master's whip. He snickered to himself, as he raised the cat o' nine tails high over Mulder's back. That glaring omission was about to be remedied.

The cat o' nine tails whistled as it swung through the air and landed on Mulder's back with a loud smacking sound. Mulder shrieked as it landed, he'd never felt such racking pain. In spite of Draco's age, he wielded the strap brutally, putting all his strength into the whipping. The blows went on and on until they all blurred together in a mass of unyielding pain.

Draco stopped suddenly and walked in front of Mulder. "Again, my young friend, who is your master?"

Mulder looked at him, dazed. He raised his chin defiantly, even though his back was on fire. "No one!"

Draco sighed with false regret."I'm afraid, my pretty, that again that's the wrong answer!"

Mulder screamed as the blows fell upon him once more. All along his back, buttocks and thighs, Draco lashed him, until the entire area was lacerated with terrible pain. He writhed frantically, trying to avoid the blows, trying desperately to catch his breath. Draco merely chuckled at these feeble attempts to avoid him and sent him blow after blow.

How happy Draco was that he took the trouble to steal this beautiful slave. Mulder was now his and his alone. And already Mulder was proving to be an incomparable source of delight!  He was worth all the land in Ondolee and Westfalia put together.

Yes, Draco mused happily to himself as he rained blows upon Mulder's back, life was very good indeed!

 **Dawn**    
 **Forest Outside Draco's Castle**

Lord Skinner stood with Alex Krycek on a small hill facing Draco's castle. They had ridden all night on Melophomene to reach their destination. Once Skinner had tethered her to a nearby tree, the two wizards surveyed the castle sealed in the Wall of Ice and pondered their chances of breaking through it.

"He's in there, Alex," said Skinner grimly, "That bastard has him in his dungeon, and he's whipping the skin right off his back!"

"I'd love the chance to eviscerate that creature!" Krycek fumed.

"You'll do no such thing," Skinner snapped,  "You will wait out here with Melophomene. If I'm not out within the hour, you are to *leave*. Do you understand me?"

"But my lord..."

"Don't give me those 'my lords'!  Those are my orders, am I understood?"

Krycek hung his head dolefully. "Yes, my lord."

Lord Skinner unsheathed his sword. "Remember, Alex, my paddle isn't reserved for Fox alone," he responded dryly, "I don't want to see you inside. If I don't come out, I want you to return to Ondolee, where you will be safe and sound."

Krycek watched in agitation as Lord Skinner marched up to the castle door. He paused in front of the Wall of Ice and raised his arms.

Skinner recited the ancient wielding spell, praying hard for success. Nothing happened at first. Then there was a loud cracking sound, and Skinner looked up just in time to prevent a huge block of ice from crushing him.

In the distance, Krycek exulted as the Wall of Ice shattered. Huge chunks of ice rained down onto the castle grounds. Inhuman cries filled the air, as devilish creatures of all shapes and sizes flew free from the castle, the Wall of Ice having kept them inside and enslaved to Draco's whims.

Lord Skinner bounded through the castle's entrance, holding his  sword in front of him. As soon as he entered the castle, five of Draco's soldiers set upon him. They were huge, burly men in dark garments, equipped with chain mail and frightening leather masks. Skinner fought them back, and slew each of them, one by one, wielding his sword with deadly expertise.

Approaching the steps leading to Draco's dungeon, he raced down them, praying that he wasn't too late.

**Draco's Dungeon**

Mulder hung limply in his bonds. His back, buttocks and thighs were a mass of whip marks and lacerations. He moaned softly.

"I'll ask you again, my pretty, who is your master?" Draco chuckled.

"No one!" Mulder whispered hoarsely, still defiant in spite of his beating. He didn't know if he had even a centimeter left on his back that hadn't been scarred by Draco's whip.

"Perhaps I need to give you a taste of what you're missing, of what a real man feels like. That way you'll have more basis for making your decision," Draco leered, untying the drawstring of his pants to reveal his erection. He had no intention of letting Mulder off the hook, but he found his new slave so incredibly arousing that he couldn't wait to plunge his cock into his body.

"No! Don't!" Mulder cried out desperately as Draco grabbed his whipped buttocks and spread them roughly. The evil wizard was about to penetrate his captive when he was interrupted by a loud, thundering sound from outside the castle.

"What's happening?" Draco exclaimed, flabbergasted, pausing in his attempt to rape Mulder, "The Wall of Ice!  It sounds like it's coming down!"

All of a sudden Skinner burst into the room, wielding his bloody sword. He immediately held up his free hand in Draco's direction and recited an incantation. A bright ray of white light sprang from his hand and struck Draco.

Draco broke away from Mulder, screaming. He started to spin, shrieking, faster and faster, bursting into flame. Then he suddenly disappeared with a hiss, in a whirling cloud of smoke.

Skinner ran to a shocked Mulder and quickly released him from his chains. Skinner then caught Mulder as he collapsed, lifting him high over his shoulder.

"You're in no condition to walk, my love, and we must depart as fast as possible from this foul place!" Skinner explained as he hurried out the door and up the steps.

Giant fissures were appearing in the walls of the castle. It was collapsing. All around them were the translucent bodies of phantoms, moaning and shrieking as they whirled and flew through the air, fleeing through the cracks of the crumbling castle.

"Wh-what are those? Ghosts?" Mulder asked Skinner, horrified.

"Those are the tormented souls of Draco's victims, all the poor mortals whom he tortured to death, for pleasure or for revenge," Skinner replied, "They have been trapped in the castle through Draco's wicked enchantment, poor wretches, and now they can finally be at peace as they wend their way to the netherworld."

Just as the pair made their way out into the bright sunlight, the castle started to tumble down in earnest with great thundering and clattering sounds. Skinner marched up the hill where Krycek stood and laid Mulder gently down on his belly on a blanket that Krycek had laid upon the grass. Melophomene whinnied and pawed the ground, pulling restlessly at her tether as the castle fell, oblivious to Mulder's wide-eyed stare.

All three men turned to watch as the dreary castle crumbled and fell, disappearing in a swirling mist.

"As if it never were!" Krycek said in awe.

"Unfortunately for Fox, that wasn't the case," Skinner sighed, "Alex, hold him still while I heal his back. Fox, I'm going to heal this precious body of yours so no scars will mar its loveliness."

Mulder held still as Skinner worked on him. Warmth and soothing sensations permeated his back, buttocks and thighs as Skinner healed him. Soon he was completely healed, with not a single blemish to show for his terrible experience.

Lord Skinner walked around so he faced Mulder. "I am so proud of you, my love, for the way you defied Draco, for your strength and forbearance!  I am ashamed to say that I never would have expected it of you -- or anyone!  If you had broken down and agreed that he was your master, you would never have gotten free of him!"

Mulder smiled at Skinner for the first time since Skinner had acquired him. Skinner's throat tightened, and he couldn't speak. He suddenly felt such incredible love and admiration for his slave that it was absolutely comparable to the overwhelming lust that he had always felt.

Skinner took off his shirt and wrapped it tenderly around Mulder. Placing his arms around both him and Krycek, he said, "Come, my loves, it is time to return home!"


	6. Chapter 6

**The Next Morning**    
 **Skinner's Bedchamber**    
 **Skinner's Palace**    
 

Mulder stirred restively among the blankets.  He was deeply asleep.  Both Skinner and Krycek watched him expectantly and then looked up to meet each other's eyes over his sleeping body.

Krycek spoke. "So you said that you would probe his memories to allow us to learn more about him."

"Yes, I know I did.  However, it is not a thing to be taken lightly, Alex. It's not just invading his privacy but his mind, his soul, the very fiber of his being," said Skinner.

"Whatever you wish, my lord," Krycek said respectfully.  "However, he is your property.  No one, wizard or mere mortal, would cast any stones if you did such a thing."

When Skinner frowned at him, Krycek exclaimed, "You said yourself that Fox Mulder is a man of mystery, a closed book!  He has never volunteered any information to us whatsoever.  You just saved his life at great risk to yourself, you are entitled to know more about him, his life and his people, and the world from whence he came!"

"I suppose you're right, Alex," Skinner sighed.  "However, I can just imagine Fox's reaction when he learns that I've done such a thing."

"Don't tell him," Krycek shrugged.

"You know that's not possible," Skinner said wistfully, "I'll have to tell him eventually."

When Krycek gave him a puzzled look, Skinner threw up his hands.  "All right, let's get on with it.  I agreed that it's the right thing to do, and what is the good of all this magic if I don't use it to learn about someone who we love and admire so completely."

Lord Skinner positioned himself over Mulder's sleeping form.  He lifted both hands over his head and spoke.

"Fox Mulder, I command you to show yourself to me, hold back nothing.  I want to see all of youÖall your thoughts, all your memories, everything.  We must see all of it."

As Mulder moaned, tossing and turning in his sleep, Skinner then recited the incantation from an ancient language that Krycek didn't recognize.  The words flew by too quickly for him to remember but he resolved to find the spell at a later date.

There was a flash of blue light and suddenly a nearby wall lit up with the images of some of Mulder's earliest memories.  Skinner cleared his throat and spoke.

"I am connected with him, Alex, but I know we can't possibly have time to view his entire life at our leisure, fascinating though that might be.  I will illustrate the memories that seem to be the most important to him, including Fox in them, and we can then try to determine how they helped create his character."

"Yes, my lord," Krycek responded, fascinated with the images of a young Fox.

It was nighttime, and a little girl was disappearing into the night.  She cried for Foxy but still floated up through space in flashes of white light. A dazed Fox looked up after her through uncomprehending and glazed eyes.

"That's his little sister," Skinner narrated grimly.  "She was taken by persons or creatures unknown when the boy was only 12."

"Monsters!" Krycek exclaimed.  He wished he could get his hands on the villains responsible for taking her away from Fox.

Time flew by and images of a young Mulder attending the FBI academy.  Soon he was solving cases involving serial killers and other maniacs.  Then there was an image of Mulder sitting at his desk, wearing glasses, speaking to a young red-haired woman.

"That's Dana!" Krycek cried out in amazement.

"Yes, I know," Skinner responded. "She must be Dana's double.  She's been hired to work with Mulder, she's also a law enforcer, on something called the X-files.  Cases that are caused by unexplained phenomena.  She has been called in to discredit his work."

Krycek snorted.  "If that's our Dana, she'd discredit his work by getting into his pants too often!"

"You're talking about the woman I love," Skinner chuckled, "Be good."

"Oh, I'm always good, m' lord!" Krycek winked.

In the next moment the whirl of cigarette smoke took the wind out of his sails.  Draco appeared as Mulder's nemesis, cigarette smoking man, and both he and Skinner shuddered as they watched the man gleefully sneer at Mulder.

Lord Skinner suddenly saw himself on the wall as Skinner, Assistant Director of the FBI.  He chuckled to see himself in a suit, scowling at Mulder and his red-haired partner.  He could easily read the A.D., however, and knew very well what his gruff manner was hiding.

Other scenes floated by on the wall, hazy, indistinct images that Krycek couldn't make out.  Suddenly he saw the three wizards who had lent them Melophomene, all huddled with Mulder around strange contraptions that he didn't recognize.

"Hey, it's those three wizards!" Krycek exclaimed.  He thought for a minute.  "This is very strange, my lord!" he continued nervously.

"I'll say," Skinner responded dryly.  "There must be some way to explain this, a ripple in time or space, or intersecting planes of alternate realities, perhaps.  It's all very odd, that the same people exist as different characters in other worlds."

"If that is the case, why haven't we met a Mulder in our world?"

"I have no clue, my young friend.  However, this Mulder is the one for me," Skinner said, gazing fondly at his sleeping slave.

Suddenly Krycek came face to face with himself, as an agent taking Dana's place. It was an eerie, dislocating feeling.

"That's the Krycek he thought I was!  Why does he hate him so much?" Krycek wondered.

"Just watch," Skinner responded grimly.

Bill Mulder's and Melissa's deaths appeared next.  Krycek watched both events in dismay.

"No wonder he hates me!" Krycek responded sadly. "He thinks that I'm just like that Krycek!"

"The sad thing is that that Krycek had nothing to do with either event," Skinner sighed. "I can read from him when he protests his innocence to Fox that he's telling the truth.  Fox believes he's responsible for the death of Dana's sister and his father, but he wasn't.  At least, he did not commit the murders, and I get the impression from him that he was under duress from outside forces in the other instances where he thwarted Fox."

"There's another thing too, my lord!  He's in love with Fox!  Did you see that kiss, and the way he looks at him?" Krycek exclaimed.

"Yes, I noticed. Our Fox slays hearts wherever he goes, apparently. A.D. Skinner is in love with him as well, have you noticed that?" Skinner sighed.

"Yes, I did.  And Fox is completely oblivious to both of them, it is truly unbelievable!" Krycek said.

"Nothing's unbelievable with Fox, Alex," Skinner smiled.  He was actually quite scornful that the A.D. hadn't thrown Mulder over his desk and taken him the first moment he laid eyes on him.  It was what Lord Skinner would have done in the same circumstance.

Well, at least you left him a virgin for me, Skinner chuckled to himself. Your loss and my gain.  Fox may not have appreciated it, but I certainly did!

Suddenly they were faced with a scene of Mulder sitting in front of his video watching a porno film.  The two wizards were perplexed by the images on the screen.

"Are those people trapped in that box, my lord?" Krycek asked, puzzled.

Skinner probed Mulder's mind for a minute.  "No, Alex, they are not real.  At least, as Fox watches them, they aren't real.  It is an apparatus that displays images that have happened before or elsewhere."

Krycek was about to ask another question when he noticed Mulder open his pants as he watched the images.  Mulder then reached down and started stroking himself as he watched the screen, lips parted and eyes half shut.  He was obviously aroused by the sight of another man and woman making love.

When Krycek looked over at Skinner, he saw that the master wizard was as aroused as he was at the sight of Mulder touching himself.

"I wondered what our Fox's erotic life was like, and here is our answer," Lord Skinner said dryly.  "Much as I am enjoying this, I am also appalled.  Where are the hordes of lovers beating down his door?  To gain his sexual release mainly through the vicarious thrill of watching others experience sensual pleasure is appalling!  Alex, I fear our dear Fox has isolated himself quite terribly."

"There's only one solution, my lord," Krycek chortled. "For every hour sat in front of that apparatus, he must experience tenfold with us in bed. What do you say?"

"A hundredfold, my lusty young friend!" Skinner reassured him.  They both laughed heartily at Mulder's expense.  Skinner peered at the screen, taking note of the scenes and positions that seemed to have the most effect on Mulder.

The two wizards watched as more of Mulder's memories went by.  Finally Skinner felt that he could not afford any more time.  The sun was rising in the sky, and he did not want to keep Mulder asleep any longer.  He had gotten the answers to some of his questions and had raised others.  It did not give him much of an indication as to why Mulder was so resistant to staying in Ondolee as Lord Skinner's slave.

However, he learned about Mulder's early loss of Samantha and his drive to find out the truth about her abduction.  He had great respect for Mulder's quest for the truth.  He despised the churlish villains who had stolen Mulder's little sister from him and their family, who had enmeshed his father in a terrible conspiracy, but he regarded Mulder's lone pursuit for justice as a lost cause.  It could never be permitted to take the place of his life in Ondolee with Lord Skinner.  The abuse and mistreatment of his brilliant love thoroughly disgusted him.

"Such a cold, sterile world, Alex!  A place where both men and women are thwarted at every turn from acting on their true natures.  His dwelling was nothing more than a little box!  So stifling and  lonely.  He is lucky to have found his way here, where we can appreciate him properly!" Skinner exclaimed.  He resolved to give Mulder more freedom to roam around the palace and its groundsÖ under close supervision, of course.

"I agree wholeheartedly, my lord.  The man with the smoke is even more evil than Draco.  Fox has nearly lost his life time and time again, in a vain quest for knowledge that will never be afforded him!  He needs to relinquish the past and stay here with us, where he will be truly loved and cared for," Krycek said.

Both men gazed lovingly at the sleeping man in the bed.  As if on cue, Mulder started moving and turning over as if he were waking up.

As Mulder shifted restlessly in bed, he heard whispering over his prone body.  In response, he screwed his eyes shut and rolled over onto his stomach.

"It's no use, Fox," Lord Skinner informed him dryly, "We both know perfectly well that you're awake."

Reluctantly Mulder opened his eyes.  Both Lord Skinner and Alex were naked and in bed with him, one on either sideÖ and, of course, Mulder was naked.

He sighed loudly.  The trip back to Ondolee on that flying horse of Skinner's had been different, to say the least.  With no saddle or stirrups, Mulder had slipped around on the great steed's back but was kept from certain death at all times by Lord Skinner's strong, steady hands on his waist.  He had gotten no answers as to where the strange beast had come from or how Skinner knew how to find Mulder.

Both Skinner and Krycek's evasions were annoying.  Not that he wasn't grateful for their timely rescue, but he was sure that Skinner's decision to keep him as ill-informed as possible was for a reason.  Skinner still regarded him as a possession, an unruly slave who could fly the coop at any given moment.

Once they were home, Mulder was given a quick meal and ushered to bed, the two of them clucking over him like mother hens. However, it was now morning, he had slept for hours, and he was forced to face the music.

He gazed at Lord Skinner, whose eyes swept hungrily over his body with a burning intensity.  Krycek was no better, practically trembling with anticipation, obviously impatient to get his hands on Mulder once again.  So much for their heartfelt concern over his torture and imprisonment by Draco.

"Look, you two," Mulder said, "I  would really like to take a break.  Even though I'm grateful to you both for risking your necks to rescue me, I don't relish being manhandled just now.  How about a nice game of cards or dice?  You must have some harmless activities here that don't involve sex!"

"Every activity involves sex when you're around, Fox," Krycek retorted.  However, he stilled at a glance from Skinner.  Sighing, he got up and reached for his black silk robe, putting it on.

"I just wish for once you were the one pouncing on us, Fox. Contrary to what you may think, Lord Skinner and I don't enjoy forcing ourselves on you *all* the time!" Krycek pouted, walking out the door.

Mulder was amazed at how easy it was to dissuade Krycek from jumping him.  He looked questioningly at Lord Skinner.

"My pet, he is offended at your reaction.  It was a very great challenge for both of us to rescue you, and Alex expected you to show a bit of gratitude," said Skinner, sighing.  He was very disappointed in Mulder's reaction but was determined not to convey it.  He had realized awhile ago that his feelings for Fox Mulder were not merely based in lust and was considering proceeding a bit more delicately with his beautiful slave.

However, Mulder's naked splendor and nearness were having an effect on him already, and Lord Skinner feared that he had already lost the battle.

Mulder pondered a minute and then spoke. "Sure, I'm grateful that you rescued me.  Another minute, and that Draco would have raped me or worse.  I would've been toast!"

"He was a ruthless tyrant and hopefully we won't be seeing the likes of him ever again," Skinner agreed.  "It was a terrible experience for you, my pet, and I'm sorry about that.  If I had been more vigilant, Draco's vile slavey would never had been able to capture you."

"Oh, nowÖ" Mulder stopped himself.  Was he really about to reassure Lord Skinner about this wretched incident?  The absurdity of it almost struck him as funny.

If Lord Skinner hadn't demanded that he be chained to the bed, Mulder might have had a chance of escape.  If Lord Skinner hadn't enslaved him, perhaps he wouldn't have encountered Draco in the first place.

Mulder put a hand up to his neck.  He still wore a collar but no chain.  He frowned at Skinner.  In spite of Skinner's contrite attitude, things hadn't changed all that much.

"What happens now?" Mulder asked tersely.

"Whatever do you mean, my love?" Skinner responded innocently.  "We shall proceed as before, only you will be afforded more protection should another ruthless scoundrel attempt to capture you. I cannot risk losing you again, and I would take the means to prevent it."

"Are you kidding me?  After all that, after your 'I'm so proud of you, Fox,' 'I never would have expected it of you, Fox,' you're still going to keep me here as your slave?  Let me go home, goddammit!" Mulder said angrily.

"No," Skinner responded firmly.

"What?  Are you crazy?"

"I love you, my sweet, you belong to me," Skinner said firmly.  He had known what was coming before Mulder had even awoken, but he had hoped to fend off this discussion for a bit longer.

Mulder sputtered with furious laughter.  Skinner frowned. "What is so funny, my pet?"

"Love?  You call this love?  If you really love me, you'd do what's best for me and send me home.  With Jackson.  We can never be happy in your world, living as your slaves, and you know it!"  Mulder exclaimed.

"Your definition of love is very interesting," Skinner retorted.  "So I should send you away from me?  Hard to fathom.  My feeling, my pet, is that if I love you, I should pamper you and hold you close, as opposed to sending you away from me to god knows what kind of existence." As Skinner made this declaration, he couldn't help but observe that Mulder's eyes flashed so invitingly when he was angry.

Mulder thought for a minute.  Perhaps he could get Skinner to at least send Jackson went home.  Jackson could then tell Scully and the others that he was still alive.  And, of course he would never keep the little devil in Ondolee just because he couldn't return home himself.

Mulder spoke. "At least send Jackson home!  You most definitely should send him home to his family and friends. "

Mulder thought for a minute.  He couldn't resist adding, "But you should send me home too!  Why are you keeping me here?  What makes you think I'll ever adjust to this existence?  Do you have any idea of what my life was like in DC? I was an independent, freethinking individual with a life and work of my own, not someone who was owned by someone else, at the mercy of that person's sexual compulsions!  You've taken that away from me, Skinner, I was *free*, and nothing you can offer me will ever make me forget that!"

Lord Skinner sighed.  Mulder obviously spoke his words from the heart, but Skinner could no more give him up than he could stop breathing.  He loved and desired Mulder with a passion that astounded even himself.

He was convinced that in time Mulder would come to feel the same way about him.  For a moment back at Draco's castle, when Mulder had smiled at him, Skinner had read true feelings of warmth coming from his slave.  He felt that that alone would provide the basis for the love that was sure to come.

"I am sending neither of you home.  Your home is here with me.  The blond treasure was a fine purchase, one that I refuse to give up so readily.  He is very excited to be here, I can assure you, unlike a certain dark-haired law enforcer who has become quite the troublemaker!" Skinner said.  He secretly hoped that Jackson could be used further to bring Mulder into line.  He had initially used Jackson to manipulate Mulder into submission, but now that Mulder realized how passionate the supposedly innocent youth actually was, he could no longer use that card.  However, he did have other ideas, fully aware of how infatuated Jackson was with Mulder.

"Enough of this," Skinner stated firmly, in a warning tone that made Mulder cringe inwardly.  "I want to celebrate your rescue, my love, not mar it with recriminations and ill feelings.  I want to luxuriate in the feel of that fine body of yours, which a very short time ago was whipped practically to shreds.  Don't you feel even the tiniest bit of gratitude towards your master for your safe return?"

"I am grateful, I said so.  There's no way I could ever have gotten out of there on my own," Mulder responded in a tight-lipped, annoyed tone, "It's just that--"

Skinner had reached down and started rubbing Mulder's groin through the sheet. "Yes, go on," Skinner smiled reassuringly.

Mulder sighed resignedly.  It was starting again, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

Skinner whipped back the bedclothes and leaned over.  He seized Mulder's cock and took it into his mouth as if it were the most natural action in the world.  He ran his tongue all along the length of his cock and swirled it around the head.  It immediately lengthened and hardened in his mouth, completely defenseless against Skinner's bold maneuvers.

"No, Skinner, stop it already!" Mulder moaned, feebly trying to push his master's head away.  He hated how much of a slut these two had turned him into.  The merest breathe on his cock, the merest hint of stimulation, made him instantly hard.  He felt like he was no longer master of his own body.

"You're correct in that assumption, my love.  I am your master," Skinner said, pausing in his movement to look up at him.  "Say it. Lord Skinner is your master."

"NO!  I will never say that!"

"You're stubborn to the very end.  You'll say it someday, perhaps soon," Skinner declared smugly, "I assure you."

"You sound just like Draco.  You're just like him!" Mulder protested.

"I am nothing like that monster, my love.  There is a world of difference between those who use their power to hurt and kill, and those who use their power to give succor and delight.  Draco's greatest pleasure was to give you pain, whereas my greatest pleasure is to give you pleasure, and that will never change," Skinner said.  He returned to licking and sucking Mulder's cock until Mulder was groaning aloud, the stimulation almost as maddening as his acute sense of helplessness.

Skinner stopped suddenly, leaving Mulder feeling bereft. He watched as Skinner shifted and positioned himself by Mulder's side.

Suddenly he was facing his master's erect cock.  He shifted backwards, feeling somewhat startled.

Skinner lifted an eyebrow, peering up at him. "If you are worried about that sore ass of yours, my love, I would be more accommodating if I were you!" he chuckled.

"How romantic of you," Mulder snarled sarcastically.  He eyed his master's erection.  It looked far more tempting than he cared to admit.  As huge as it was, he could get the head into his mouth, but not much else.

Mulder was feeling deeply conflicted about the feelings Lord Skinner stirred in him.  On the one hand, he most definitely hated being a slave and resolved to escape at the earliest possible convenience.  On the other hand, it was Lord Skinner who had rescued him from Draco's castle when all seemed lost, and Lord Skinner who had begun to stir uncontrollable feelings in lust in him at every given opportunity.  Whether his master was bringing to surface buried homoerotic feelings regarding his ex-boss, Mulder couldn't clearly say, but he would have to give the situation some serious consideration once he got free.

Krycek was also included in the equation.  The combination of profound irritation, anger and hatred he had always felt towards the triple agent was now being unmasked for something far different and much more unsettling.  It had never occurred to him as he pummeled his enemy in the past that perhaps it was mainly because he just couldn't keep his hands off him.  Now, that was a real unpleasant truth to face about himself!

Mulder started when he felt Skinner return to sucking him.  It was true that his ass was sore, and Skinner seemed hell bent on screwing him senseless today, no holds barred.  But then, Mulder couldn't think of a time when Lord Skinner wasn't hell bent on screwing him senseless.

All capacity for thought vanished once Mulder felt Skinner's skillful mouth on his cock.  Mulder groaned loudly.  Skinner had a way of making Mulder feel like his cock was the epicenter of an incredibly delightful maelstrom whenever he sucked him.  It was impossible to resist.

Overcome with lust, he surrounded Skinner's cock with his mouth as best he could and set to work.  In response, his master started moaning softly as he tended Mulder and in retaliation gripped his slave's buttocks hard and sucked him even more vigorously.  It wasn't long before both men climaxed together, uttering muted cries and rocking their bodies with the strength of their passion.

Mulder lay back among the pillows.  To his astonishment, Skinner was still hard.  When Skinner reached over him and snatched up the oil from his nightable, Mulder couldn't help emitting a small gasp.

"That was lovely, my pet.  But you know you want this too, as much as I do.  It is useless to pretend that you don't, " Skinner responded gruffly.

"If I said I didn't, would you leave me in peace?"

"No," Skinner readily admitted, "but you'd make it easier on yourself if you admit to enjoying all the sexual attention I give you."

"Easier!  You think not being in control of my own body is easier?"

"Well, if you prefer, we can use the restraints and the salve, would that put your mind at ease?"  Skinner scoffed.  He had little patience for the sort of ethical quibbling that Mulder was exhibiting.  Mulder either enjoyed sex with Lord Skinner or he didn't, and it was useless for him to pretend that he didn't.  Skinner didn't need to use his mindreading skills to know that.

"No!" Mulder exclaimed.  He hated having those magical implements used on him, such as the salve and the taran ring.  While it might allay his conscience that he couldn't help himself, in a way it was worse to be so completely lacking in control.

Skinner snorted sarcastically.  It was as he suspected.  At least Mulder was being honest with himself.  Some men still needed the illusion that they were being forced no matter what the circumstance.  Blindfolds, gags, restraints, he enjoyed using them all, but sometimes he felt it was so much of a game if his partner was willing.  Such subterfuges in those situations just seemed like a waste of time to Skinner.

It was another story entirely if his partner was a pretty slave who would gladly bolt if given half the chance.

Skinner was very hard by now.  He coated his erection with the oil.   
Positioning himself over Mulder, Skinner then grabbed each of Mulder's long legs and swung them high up on his shoulders.

Slowly but surely he eased his large cock into Mulder's anus.  Mulder groaned and shifted as Skinner pumped it in oh so slowly.  His master wasn't hurting him, but it was never easy taking him into his body.  Finally Skinner was in, and he leaned forward, bending Mulder's legs back almost double, his knees practically straddling his chest.

Mulder was panting in short, hot breathes.  He never felt so stretched and filled to the maximum as when Skinner was inside him.  He felt utterly and completely possessed by Skinner's huge cock.

Skinner withdrew suddenly and thrust all the way in, causing Mulder to gasp.  In, out, in, out, Skinner picked up the rhythm quickly.  He had been without Mulder for all of twenty-four hours and restraint in these matters was not to be expected of him.

Mulder moaned as Skinner's movements thrummed his prostate gland.  Electric sparks of pure pleasure radiated out from the core of his being.  Very soon he was erect, and Skinner grabbed his cock with an oily hand.

"This is what you need, my love.  This is what that beautiful body of yours merits!" Skinner growled, stroking Mulder's cock in a strong grip as he thrust in and out roughly.  "Look at me and let yourself go.  Come for me!"

Mulder cried out and came, spurting wildly over Skinner's fist.  His hands grabbed and twisted the bedclothes helplessly as he shuddered from the force of his orgasm.  His sphincter tightened and throbbed around Skinner's cock, sending his master over the edge with a roar. Skinner thrust once more and froze, bending Mulder's legs way back onto his chest, his enormous cock pulsing and spurting his essence deep into his slave.

When it was over, Skinner pulled out abruptly, causing Mulder to cry out from astonishment.  As Mulder's legs dropped onto the bed, Skinner gazed fondly and almost shyly at his slave.

"I wanted to look into your eyes as you came, beautiful one.  Thank you for that."

Mulder swallowed the retort that sprang to his lips.  Skinner looked too enraptured for him to burst his bubble.  His heart sank.  How in the devil was he ever going to get home?

"Your home is with me, sweet one," Skinner replied, as Mulder cursed silently, "You'll see that in time."

"It's not with you!  I have friends, a family, a job!  A life! Why can't you see that!" Mulder shouted, pushed to his limit.

Skinner's demeanor changed immediately.  He scowled angrily at his errant slave.  "I see more than you know, Fox.  I see a stubborn slave who can't admit that he belongs body and soul to his master.  You just made the most passionate love possible with me, you just came for me, and you still can't be honest with yourself?  What will it take to make you see that your destiny is with me?"

"Nothing!  I'll never agree to that, never!" Mulder exclaimed, sitting up and turning as if he were going to leave the bed.

Skinner grabbed his shoulders and angrily forced him back down.  "I'm not finished with you, pet," he growled.  "You're not leaving this bed until I say so!"

Instead of taking Mulder roughly, however, Lord Skinner pressed him back down on the bed and proceeded to make the most tender love imaginable to him.  He nuzzled and sucked Mulder's cock until he was hard again and entered him only when Mulder was fully aroused, all the while whispering soothing words of affection as Mulder struggled angrily.

It was almost as if he were trying to convince Mulder of something.  He refused to let Mulder up but he also didn't let his temper get the better of him.

Again and again Skinner took him, all the while whispering loving and encouraging words.  He wrung orgasm after orgasm from Mulder's reluctant body.  Finally Mulder couldn't take it any longer, he was thoroughly spent.

"No more," he croaked, as once again Skinner started to nuzzle and suck his reddened cock, "Come on, Skinner, enough already!  I can't take any more!"

Skinner stopped sucking and looked up.  "My love, I'll know when you've had enough.  Come now, come for me, I want to see you come again," Skinner cooed, rubbing Mulder's sensitized cock as he spoke.

Mulder let out a squawk of exasperation as Skinner returned to his ministrations, when there was a knock at the door.

Skinner looked up and scowled.  Who would be interrupting his session with his treasured slave?  He got up from the bed and grabbed his black silk robe.

"Don't you go anywhere," he gruffly warned at Mulder's palpable look of relief.

He let the door open to receive Edward. "Yes, what is it?" he frowned at the chagrined servant as he stood in the doorway.

"I am sorry to bother you, my lord," Edward whispered, "but she's here!"

Skinner started in surprise.  "Finally! Well, she certainly picks a fine moment to make her entrance!"

"Shall I send her away?"

"No, don't bother.  I'll go down to greet her, and Fox will follow.  I daresay she'll enjoy meeting him," Skinner said thoughtfully.

Edward grinned lecherously, glancing sideways at Mulder lying in the bed.  "That's for certain, my lord!"

"All right, Edward.  Tell her I'll be down shortly," Skinner smiled, ushering the elderly servant out the door.

As he shut the door and turned around, Mulder looked curiously at him.  He hadn't been able to hear any of Lord Skinner's whispered exchange with the servant.

"What was that about?" he asked.

"Your reprieve," Skinner responded sarcastically.  "I have a visitor downstairs, someone that I very much want you to meet."

"Another visitor?" exclaimed Mulder.  "Don't tell me, this time it's Well-Manicured Man's double, who'll torture me by subjecting me to horrible experiments for some evil purpose!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Fox," Skinner said emphatically, halfway between amusement and exasperation, "If you must know, it's a woman friend of mine, a very, very dear woman friend, and I expect you to behave."

"Who is she?"

"Lady Dana of the North Woods.  She and I used to be lovers, and I taught her everything she knows," Skinner explained, "She is a stunning red-haired creature, and I expect you will entice her with your many charms."

Mulder's mouth dropped open.  He stared at Skinner in shock.  Lady DanaÖcould she possiblyÖmaybeÖbe an alternate of Scully?

"Oh, now, Fox, you're surprised that it's a woman who is visiting me?" Skinner smiled, deliberately misinterpreting Mulder's dumbfounded expression, "Believe me when I tell you she's enchanting.  An enchanting enchantress!  Such sparkling conversation, such beauty!"

He leaned forward to murmur in Mulder's ear.  "You'll feel like you've known her for years!"

Mulder simply continued staring at Skinner.  Chuckling, Lord Skinner quickly shed his dressing gown and changed into his leather garments as Mulder watched in stunned silence.

Skinner then opened the door to leave his bedchamber, turning back to add "I will have my manservants come up and escort you down shortly.  Remember, Fox, I expect you to be on your best behavior!" with an amused smile on his face.

Mulder keep staring off in a daze even after Lord Skinner was gone from the room.  As if in a dream, he stood up to get himself ready for Lady Dana's visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "And while thy willing soul transpires   
> At every pore with instant fires,   
> Now let us sport us while we may,   
> And now, like amorous birds of prey,   
> Rather at once our time devour   
> Than languish in his slow-chapt power." --Andrew Marvell


	7. Chapter 7

**The Same Morning**    
 **The Great Hall**    
 **Skinner's Palace**

Lady Dana tapped her foot impatiently. She was unused to being kept waiting, and here of all places, at Lord Skinner's palace. Lord Skinner usually materialized in any room she was in when she stayed with him, at any time, regardless of whether she was even in a state to receive him as her visitor.

She allowed herself a smug smile. The master wizard was definitely mad about her.

Then what was keeping him? Her self-satisfied little smirk quickly dissolved into a perplexed frown. She hated to be kept waiting.

If she didn't know better, she would have sworn he was with Krycek. If she hadn't seen the apprentice wizard leaving the palace just as she was entering, wearing a brooding expression, she would have believed him to be the one detaining her beloved lord. However, he was leaving to go hunting when he saw her, barely grunting his acknowledgment of her presence as he headed towards the stables. She was admittedly disappointed, a quick scan of his mind revealing nothing, demonstrating that Krycek was a quicker study than she had given him credit for. He successfully blocked her probe, stopping short and frowning angrily at her when he felt the press of her mind on his.

"You cannot blame an enchantress for trying, Master Krycek!" she pursed her lips at him prettily.

"Why not try asking me?" he retorted.

"All right. What has been happening in Lord Skinner's household since I last visited? There were so many tales this morning of how he vanquished that wretched Draco that I don't know what to believe. Is that villain really gone?"

"He is. Not a moment too soon, either!" Krycek said.

"Well! Lord Skinner is certainly courageous, the dear! And how did the whole confrontation start and the need to get rid of him in the first place?" Dana asked.

Krycek smiled hesitantly. He didn't feel it was his place to tell her anything. He would definitely leave that explanation to Lord Skinner.

"Oh, come now, Alex, you can trust me!" she wheedled, sidling up to him and taking his arm. "Do you not know by now how good I am at keeping secrets?"

Krycek abruptly jerked his arm away. "No, I do not know that!" he said. "Look, Lady Dana, you can ask him these questions. And stop trying to read my mind, I can feel it when you do. Oh, I am going hunting, I will have to see you later!" With that, he stalked off.

Lady Dana sighed in disappointment as she watched him walk away from her. Then she sighed again in delight as she noticed how snug Krycek's leather britches were, hugging his wonderfully tight, rounded buttocks, showing off their beauty. She longed to get her hands on them again, resolving to get him back into bed along with Lord Skinner at the first reasonable opportunity.

She wondered what upset Krycek so much. When she attempted to read his mind, she could feel all sorts of turbulent emotion, but couldn't pinpoint the reason. She doubted it had anything to do with Lord Skinner, who doted on the young knave, so much so that she would have most certainly been terribly jealous if she hadn't succeeded in bedding the fledging wizard herself a long time ago. She unconsciously licked her lips as she thought of the three of them in bed together. The sight of Krycek getting screwed by Lord Skinner was worth giving a lifetime...nay, several lifetimes...for, one that she was determined to repeat as often as possible during the course of her visit.

Thoughts of Lord Skinner made her very warm indeed. She had never encountered anyone so strong, so masterful, so preternaturally arousing. However, he was much more to her than a fantastic lover, he was the one who had discovered her supernatural talents, her talents for mindreading, moving objects, summoning supernatural beings, casting spells, experiencing visions, and more. She had blossomed under his tutelage, enhanced by his own skill and powers, and even if she lived many lifetimes she could still never repay him. Her life as enchantress had been so fascinating and exciting, fulfilling her girlish fantasies of adventure far beyond her wildest expectations.

She still hadn't answered her own question as to why Krycek was so upset. She knew it was not about her visit. There was no way he could have known that she was coming, as she had told no one that she was visiting the master wizard and had only just arrived. Edward had only just recently been informed of her presence. Something odd was happening in Lord Skinner's household, something out of the ordinary. Perhaps she should try reading the thoughts of those around her!.

"My lady," Edward interjected, causing her to jump. Some enchantress she was, Dana mused to herself, being surprised by a mere servant.

She looked at him with an amused glint in her eye. "Yes, Edward?"

Edward regarded her placidly. "Lord Skinner will be detained for awhile. Perhaps you would care to breakfast while you wait?"

Dana frowned. This was becoming curiouser and curiouser. "I shall take a walk through the palace grounds, Edward. I will dine when Lord Skinner comes down, but I do hope that the meal will be sooner than a midnight supper!"

"Oh, I will inform my lord of your presence at the earliest opportunity, my lady!" Edward responded nervously.

Dana merely harrumphed and walked out the door, completely forgetting her desire to read the thoughts of the servants and discover the root cause of all this mysterious behavior. ****

 **Several Hours Later**    
 **The Great Hall**    
 **Skinner's Palace**

Lord Skinner burst into the room expectantly. Seeing it empty, he stepped out into the corridor to waylay Edward as the servant walked by.

"Where is she?" he demanded excitedly.

"She is in the garden, my lord," Edward said deferentially. "She has not been happy about having been kept waiting."

"Has she breakfasted?"

"Just a crust of bread and some tea. She wanted to dine with you, my lord."

"That sounds like Dana," Skinner beamed.

He headed out into the garden. The sight of his beautiful Dana sitting on a stone bench weaving flowers into a wreath took his breath away.

She was even lovelier than he remembered. He would demand that she make his palace her permanent residence or he would refuse to let her leave.

Dana looked up at him, extremely pleased. She was able to feel the force of his ardor with little effort at all. Either her talents had improved or Lord Skinner was feeling some powerful emotions right now.

"My lord, it is always a pleasure to see you," she greeted him sweetly.

"Words are too feeble a conveyance to express my absolute delight in seeing you, my love!" growled Skinner. Quickly he sent her a mental picture of the two of them making love with rapt abandon.

Dana giggled happily. "You are so correct in that estimation, my lord, words are indeed inadequate to describe what we are to each other!"

She placed the wreath on her head. "Does it become me?"

Skinner glowed lecherously. "You are a Sylvana, Goddess of the Woods!"

Abruptly she removed it. "My lord, why was I kept waiting? I have been here these two hours, and while I've enjoyed walking through your lovely garden, it was sadly lacking without the grace of your presence!" she frowned.

Skinner cleared his throat hesitantly and gazed at her. "I was enjoying a new acquisition, my love, one whom you will most certainly approve of."

"A slave?"

"Yes, my dear! But so much more than a mere slave."

Dana's curiosity was piqued. "Is he lovely?"

"So much so that my first urge upon seeing him was to take him right there on the block!" Skinner said emphatically.

Dana laughed delightedly. "Well, where is he? You know my fondness for slaves!"

Just at that moment, William and Frederick appeared in the garden flanking Mulder, who was blushing and glaring angrily at both of them.

"Here is your slave, my lord! He wanted to come down wearing your attire and refused to get into his slave garb. You may want to punish him accordingly," William volunteered, a gleam in his eye at the thought of watching Mulder get spanked.

"That's all right, William," Skinner countered. He was planning on allowing Mulder a bit of slack given his recent experience with Draco. "He is attired properly now, and that is the main thing."

The servants looked crestfallen. As they turned to leave, Mulder stepped away from them to gaze openmouthed at Lady Dana.

"So, are you! Scully? You look identical to someone very dear to me back home!" Mulder exclaimed, astonished at the resemblance. She looked exactly like Dana Scully, in spite of the long red curls and frilly, ornate gown.

Lady Dana peered lecherously at him. The slave was even finer than she had imagined. She was deliriously happy that the servants had forced him into the black garment that was the garb of all slaves in the region. If he belonged to her, even that small piece of cloth would be denied him.

"I am charmed to meet you, dear slave," she purred, "I don't know this Scully of yours. I am Lady Dana Katherine of the North Woods. However, the "very dear to me back home" sounds positively lovely, it would be a great pleasure to be held in such high esteem by a being as perfect as yourself!"

Mulder was shocked. Lady Dana had the same feral look that the others, from Lord Skinner and Krycek to the servants and even Draco, had displayed towards him. Was everyone in this insane world sex-crazed?

Lord Skinner cleared his throat. "Fox, you must have learned by now that anyone who resembles an acquaintance from your home world is not necessarily the same person. This is not 'Scully'!I do not want you to be expecting Lady Dana to be Scully, you will be disappointed."

Lady Dana felt a surge of annoyance at Mulder's disappointed sigh. "I know," he said to her fury, "but I couldn't help but hope."

His resigned sigh made her blood boil with irritation as well as lust. You'll pay for that, my sweet little slave, she thought mischievously, yes, you will pay indeed.

"Let us go into the dining hall, my loves, a marvelous repast awaits us," Skinner urged.

 **Dining Hall**    
 **Skinner's Palace**

The three sat down to a table laden with all sorts of delicacies. Delicious fruit piled high on trays as well as roasted pheasant and assorted vegetables were among the opulent dishes laid out for them.

Mulder was ravenous, so he devoured as much as he could, while Lady Dana and Lord Skinner caught up on recent events.

"I heard this morning that you vanquished Draco, and that all of Ondolee is grateful to you for saving their village," Dana said.

"That is true, my dear," Skinner responded, chewing on a drumstick. "He had set his sights on Ondolee, and a great war was imminent. I couldn't bear to let the good citizens of Ondolee languish under the rule of such a tyrant."

"That was very noble of you, my lord, especially when he tried to coax you to his side."

"Ah, you know more than you let on, you whelp," Skinner beamed affectionately. "I suppose you have heard an account of how I stormed the castle as well?"

"Yes I have, my lord. However, I thought it was just another of the many legends that circulate daily about your heroics," Dana replied with a glint in her eye.

Skinner stopped eating and frowned. "Not unless you count the destruction of the Wall of Ice and the slaying of Draco's five fierce soldiers a legend! Not to mention the annihilation of that wretch, no easy task, I assure you!"

"No, my lord. I was not implying that the stories were untrue. However, I assure you that when I heard the tale, there were fifty soldiers that you fought against, and one hundred demons, and Draco came at you with all the hounds of hell at his side, and your battle lasted for days, and---"

"What????" Both Skinner and Mulder looked at her with their mouths agape in bewilderment.

"How preposterous!" Skinner replied with more than a little irritation.

"That's what I said to myself, my lord," Dana continued with an amused air, "but the townspeople must have their heroes!"

Suddenly Edward appeared at the door. "I am sorry to interrupt you, my lord, but several of Ondolee's leaders are here to see you."

Skinner looked at his companions with a dismayed expression on his face. Both Mulder and Dana were trying hard not to laugh.

Skinner sighed resignedly. "Well, show them in, Edward, show them in."

Two earnest-looking gentlemen were shown in. The moment they saw Lord Skinner, the two men bowed deeply.

"Yes, yes, what is it?" Skinner greeted them crossly, giving Dana a reproachful sideways glance at her sudden giggle.

"My courageous lord," spoke the older of the two, who was portly with thinning hair, "Tales of your bravery are spreading like wildfire throughout Ondolee. You have vanquished one of our greatest enemies, with no care for your own safety, and with the most noble, the most altruistic of intentions..."

"If you call retrieving my slave altruistic!" Skinner snarled.

The two men looked at each other perplexed, while Dana burst into peals of laughter. The portly gentleman decided to press on.

"In light of these recent events, this bravery, this noble sacrifice, we are determined to ask you again, to beseech you most kindly, to take up your rightful position as ruler of Ondolee. We most certainly..."

"No." Skinner snapped.

"But my lord..."

"I said no!"

"Oh dear, my lord, I really don't think that's the appropriate response to such an entreaty," Dana contributed, sobering up immediately.

"Dana, we've been through this time and time again, haven't we Phineas? Every so often, when I mistakenly commit some noble act that benefits the poor fools, they send these lackeys of theirs to come and demand that I take up 'my rightful position as ruler of Ondolee'. Why? Don't ask me!" Skinner ranted. The two leaders quaked in their boots.

"I think that's a fine reaction! The leaders recognize your worth, my lord! And they wish to honor it by giving you a position of great responsibility! You would make a wonderful ruler, my lord, and I think that you should accept!" Dana retorted.

Mulder looked from face to face in consternation. He had thought that Lord Skinner was a ruler of sorts, he was obviously of nobility.

"I am Ondolee's protector, my love, not their ruler." Skinner responded to Mulder's unasked query. "Gentlemen, do you know what you're asking? How do you know that I will not abuse this power once I am afforded it? Do you not know that such power can easily go to a man's head?"

The younger town leader found his courage to answer. "My lord, begging your pardon, but you are not that type of man. I understand perfectly your arguments against such a situation, but there is no braver, more noble gentleman than yourself. You will be a just and valorous ruler, my lord, no tyrant! Your counsel and bravery in the skirmish with Draco merely affirms what all the people of Ondolee, from the oldest gentleman to the youngest child, have known all along!that you are meant to be our ruler, and our only ruler, now and for the rest of your days!"

There was a stunned silence in the room. Even Lord Skinner was impressed by the young leader's impassioned speech.

"Very well, Quentin," Lord Skinner sighed. "I will meet with the town leaders and see what all of you have to say."

The two gentlemen looked at each other beaming. This was a welcome turn of events.

"I do not mean to rush you, my lord," Quentin continued, "but there is a delegation at the palace gates to meet with you."

Lord Skinner sighed again. He could read the minds of the two leaders, and in spite of their awkward manner, fierce determination radiated from them in waves.

He turned to Mulder and Lady Dana. "I am sorry to have to leave you, my loves, but duty calls. My darling Dana, will you be able to entertain yourself in my absence?"

Dana looked up at him sweetly. "Oh, don't worry about me, my lord. I'll be just fine, won't I, Fox?" she said, giving Mulder a lecherous sideways glance.

Mulder choked on the food he was eating. "Er, yes, Skinner, she'll be fine, go ahead and don't worry about us!" he sputtered nervously.

"That's good, my sweet," Lord Skinner said resignedly, getting up from the table and throwing down his napkin. "At this rate, probably when I next see you I'll be the official ruler of Ondolee!"

The two of them watched him march off with the Ondolee leaders. Mulder spoke. "Do you think he'll really be crowned ruler?"

"Certainly looks that way," Dana smiled fondly. "It couldn't happen to a more honorable man."

Mulder didn't respond. His thoughts were in a whirl. Perhaps if Lord Skinner were distracted enough by his new position!

"Now, why don't you tell me about yourself, slave?" Dana cooed, sidling up to Mulder's side and placing a cool, delicate hand on his upper thigh.

Mulder jumped, Dana had just been sitting across from him at the table. "The name's Mulder," he choked, pushing his chair backwards to get away from her.

Dana frowned. "I'm sorry, but you don't look like a 'Mulder'. You do, however, look as beautiful as a fox, and," she licked her lips suggestively, "I'm very tempted to go fox-hunting!"

Mulder was shocked by her forward behavior. "E-e-excuse me?"

"You heard me, slave. Now if I know Lord Skinner, and the Ondolee townspeople, you won't be seeing him any time soon. I'd say late supper at the earliest. Now, why don't we go wait for him in his bedchamber..."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Mulder expostulated.

"Kidding? What in the world does that mean?" Dana cooed innocently as she reached out again to continue stroking his thigh.

Suddenly they were interrupted by a servant entering the dining hall. He carried a huge tray to assist in clearing the table. The servant let out a gasp of surprise.

"Agent Mulder!" exclaimed Jackson Thomas, "Lord Skinner finally let you out of his bedchamber! I heard he had you collared and chained to his bed day and night!"

Mulder stared up at the pesky college student and then back at Dana in dismay. This brazen assertion only seemed to inflame her further, causing her to narrow her eyes in triumph.

"I see you've been kept busy, slave" she purred, "My dearest was not jesting when he said he was enjoying his new acquisition! Since you are so familiar with his bedchamber, let us proceed there, and take your delectable companion with us!"  With that she clapped her hands twice, and the walls of the dining hall dissolved to transform into the walls of Lord Skinner's bedchamber.

Mulder and Jackson looked around in shock. "You must be as powerful a wizard as Lord Skinner!" Mulder exclaimed to Dana, who lulled sensuously in the middle of Lord Skinner's enormous bed.

"Indeed I am," she said contentedly. "Well, maybe not as powerful, but pretty powerful."

"Do you think you could possibly open the Cristalu Vortex and send us home?" Mulder asked eagerly.

Dana was surprised at this strange request. She searched the minds of both slaves, seeing at once their histories and how they both were accidentally transported to Ondolee through the vortex.

She smiled to herself. Mulder and Jackson Thomas were both obviously very eager to get back home. In her experience, when men wanted something from her, it was a grave mistake for her to give it freely, especially when there were so many delectable ways they could earn it.

She pretended to consider Mulder's request. "Well, that would be a very, very, very difficult task, slave. I would love to accommodate you, but---"

"Yes?" Mulder responded impatiently.

"My lord would be quite angry with me. He would probably see that I was encased in ice for one hundred years!" Dana sighed sorrowfully, peering up at the two of them.

Jackson looked horrified. "He can do that?"

Mulder snorted in disgust. It was apparent to him that Lady Dana was playing with them, Lord Skinner would obviously never harm her.

"Well, forget it then, I guess you can't help us---"

"Now, wait a minute, slave," Dana snapped. "I didn't say that. I am actually quite capable of helping you, but my assistance is not freely given. However, I think you'll enjoy paying the price for that assistance very much indeed!"

Her petulant expression changed to a lascivious one as she appreciatively scrutinized their barely-clothed bodies. She enjoyed how the two men tensed, wondering what she was going to say next.

She uttered one word only. "Strip!"

Mulder and Jackson looked at each other in amazement. Mulder turned back to her. "Excuse me?"

"Is there something wrong with your hearing, dear slave? I want you to make love to me, while your scrumptious blond friend rides you hard from behind. You know you want to, Jackson dear, it's what you've desired from the first moment you laid eyes on Master Fox Mulder," Dana cooed. "You can't hide anything from me, you know!"

Jackson was astounded. "I-I-I-I" he stuttered.

Mulder, however, was furious. "This is blackmail!" he ranted.

"Call it what you will, my darling slave, but those are my terms," she cooed. "From what I've read of Lord Skinner's affection towards you, you'll never get another chance like this one. And after I tell him that you asked me to help you escape, you'll be spending your days and nights chained head and foot to this bed.  I hope you've enjoyed your afternoon of freedom, because you won't be experiencing that again anytime soon!"

There was a shocked silence. Then Mulder snarled, "You-you-you witch! You're nothing like Scully, nothing like her!"

"Oh really?" Dana responded with an arched eyebrow. "How sad for you. And you really want to return to that world?"

Mulder bit back another furious retort. He was caught between a rock and a hard place. He looked up to see Jackson looking at him anxiously.

"Well, sport," he laughed weakly, "looks like she's got us!"

"In more ways than one," Jackson countered grimly. "Look, Agent Mulder, you don't have to do this!"

"What choice do I have? Lord Skinner will crucify me if he knows I asked her to help us escape. And she's our only hope!" Mulder responded gloomily.

"That's the spirit!" Dana cheered. She waved her hand and the g-strings for both men immediately fell away. She smacked her lips as she surveyed the two of them completely naked.

Mulder eyed Jackson nervously. The college student's cock, now fully erect, hadn't gotten any smaller. After being plowed endlessly by Lord Skinner, Mulder wasn't looking forward to an intimate encounter with its size.

"Come down to me, slave," Dana purred from the bed. "Come down onto the bed. I want to feel that gorgeous body of yours upon me." She had taken the opportunity afforded by Mulder's looking away to liberate herself of her gown and undergarments and now lay before them in naked splendor.

When Mulder saw her lying upon the downy pillows, he was taken aback. She was astonishingly beautiful, like every fantasy he'd had of Scully during those slow office days. Or nights. Her luscious breasts with their large, succulent brown nipples positively called out to Mulder to be sucked and nuzzled. Her pubic hair sprouted out in a magnificent red-gold bush. Her body was starting to draw him like a magnet.

Giving up, he lay down on the bed and sidled up next to her. "Scully," he whispered in awe, nuzzling her neck.

"Don't call me that," Dana responded crossly. She smiled sweetly at his look of dismay. "My only rule, sweet slave, my only rule!"

She ran her fingers through his fine hair and kissed him slowly, deeply, savoring the taste of his sweet mouth. Trailing his hand down his gorgeous chest and stomach, she touched his cock to find that he was indeed fully erect.

Dana smirked to herself. It was as she expected. No matter how big a show of protest Mulder might muster up, he couldn't resist her. He was the same in this respect as every other man she encountered.

Lying back on the bed, Dana drew Mulder forward so that his body covered her. She smothered his beautiful neck with soft kisses. With one hand she guided his cock into her body, purring with delight when she felt him enter her.

Mulder murmured contentedly to her. It was the culmination of all his fantasies regarding Scully. Lady Dana was as sensuous and wonderful as he imagined his Scully to be. He plunged deeper into her silky depths, her vagina enveloping him with its shielding warmth. She fitted him like a hot, tight velvet glove.

Suddenly he felt a pressure from behind, as Jackson lay on top of him. With one fierce thrust, the college student impaled him with his large cock, causing Mulder to cry out from surprise. Dana petted and soothed him, smothering his exclamations with passionate kisses.

"Oh, Fox," Jackson groaned ecstatically in his ear. "I've dreamed of this for so long! You're as tight and hot and delicious as I imagined you to be! I could fuck you for hours!"

Mulder's agitated response was muffled by Dana's deep kiss. Without further delay, Jackson started to move in him, balancing himself on his strong arms, thrusting hard and deep, forcing Mulder to thrust in and out of Dana at the same time. Dana cried out in turn and gripped Mulder's buttocks hard, eagerly moving her hips upward to meet Mulder's thrusts. Soon they were all moving in concert, with Mulder propelled forward by Jackson's thrusts and met by Dana's.

As Jackson thrust against Mulder's prostate, Mulder thought he would explode. He was sore from being taken numerous times by Lord Skinner, and Jackson's thrusts were so intensely pleasurable as to be almost painful. He tried to yell at him to take it easy but his sounds were muffled by Dana's eager and demanding lips.

Jackson thrust harder and harder, grunting and groaning with abandon. Finally Dana grasped Mulder and reached her peak, uttering wild cries that were smothered by his lips. She orgasmed again and again. Mulder couldn't withstand the clutching heat, as well the feel of his lovely Dana writhing in ecstasy, and came himself, spurting deeply into her moist warmth.

As Mulder reached orgasm, his sphincter gripped and undulated around Jackson's huge cock, causing Jackson to cry out too and come, pumping deep into Mulder. He kissed and nibbled the back of Mulder's neck as he came, wrapping his arms tightly around Mulder's chest, ecstatic beyond belief at this amazing realization of his fantasy. It was even better than he had hoped, making love to his beautiful Fox Mulder.

After it was over, the three of them tumbled apart. Mulder glared angrily at a deliriously buoyant and oblivious Jackson as he sat back on his heels on the bed, reminding him remarkably of a happy puppy!a happy puppy that bites!

"Wow, that was terrific, Agent Mulder! That was even hotter than I expected!" Jackson exclaimed joyously.

"I hope you enjoyed yourself because it's the last time!" Mulder responded through clenched teeth. He was damned if he let the college student or anyone else near him ever again, to hell with the consequences.

Before Jackson could register this, Lady Dana spoke up. "Oh I don't think so! If you're sore, slave, I can apply the salve that you are already so intimately acquainted with, but this little encounter, lovely though it was, is not all that it's going to take to buy your freedom!"

Mulder went cold with dread. "It's finished! I tell you, I've had enough!"

Jackson, however, looked interested, the bastard. "What else do you want us to do?"

"Well!I think I'd like to see the two of you tend each other with your mouths, lying on the bed head to foot. Then, I want you to ride our sweet slave again while he tends me with his mouth. Then..."

"Forget it!" Mulder yelled. "Lord Skinner's been fucking me all morning, do you think I'm made of granite?"

Lady Dana giggled. "As I said, there's the salve, sweet slave. It's your choice. Do you want to go home or not? I tell you, I *always* keep my word! And when Lord Skinner discovers your plea to me for help in escaping, he will punish you for sure, and will most definitely become quite inflamed in the act. You must know what the consequences of *that* will be! Since he will be very angry with you, I doubt that he will be as gentle in his seduction of you as myself!"

"Gentle? Gentle?" Mulder said in amazement. Lady Dana twinkled at him, looking like a cat ready to pounce on an especially delicious canary.

Mulder ran through the options in his mind. He hated that damn salve, but he couldn't face Lord Skinner in an aroused fury, collared and chained day and night to his bed again. There was no reason to believe that Dana was telling the truth about helping them to escape, but---

"I am telling you the truth, slave!" Dana said, her expression changing to one of haughty petulance. "I *always* keep my word!"

Mulder sighed resignedly. "Do you swear that you'll send us home tonight?"

"I swear by all my powers as enchantress that I'll send you home tonight!" Dana said somberly.

She took Mulder's defeated silence as acquiescence. Taking a handkerchief and dipping it in a bowl of cool water on Skinner's nightable, she cleansed the dried semen off Mulder's cock. She then repeated her actions with Jackson.

That accomplished, Lady Dana then reached for the clay jar of salve. She loved using these magic potions on men, it was a known fact that women outlasted men in sexual stamina in the best of times, and what about an enchantress? This salve doubly ensured that any and all mortals could keep up with her, whether they wanted to or not.

She coated Mulder's cock, balls, and anus with the gel, inserting her fingers deep inside him, applying a vast amount. The warmth soothed the soreness from Mulder's prolonged overuse, and then, of course, the incredible craving quickly took over. This time the fire spread over his cock as well.

"Oh god, Jackson, suck me, suck me, I can't stand it!" he cried out through clenched teeth. His need was so extreme and so violent that he had no conscious shame at all about begging the troublesome college student.

Jackson threw Dana a shocked look. Mulder's erection was sudden and enormous! She looked back at him with a sweetly smug expression.

"Go on, Jackson, do as he says, if you want to see your family again! Go on, it's what you want, anyway!" she coaxed.

Jackson needed no further persuasion whatsoever, he dove right down on the bed. The two men quickly grappled themselves into position and, seizing each other's buttocks firmly, hungrily engulfed each other's erection with their eager mouths. They sucked at each other with sheer abandon, heads bobbing, uttering muffled cries. They were mindless with lust, more reminiscent of two animals in heat than two men from a civilized world.

It wasn't long before the two men came in unison, jerking their hips forward and gushing forcefully into each other's mouths. Dana watched them with moist, parted lips, very much aroused, as Mulder cried out and tried to lift himself off the bed, Jackson's semen dribbling out of the corner of his mouth. His own orgasm was fierce and all-consuming, causing Jackson to gag as he swallowed quickly to accommodate it.

"Bravo!" Dana cheered, clapping appreciatively. "Bravo, I say! Now, my darling Fox, I want you to use your mouth on me, while Jackson rides you from behind!"

Mulder's need was still overwhelming. Without thinking, he positioned himself in front of Dana's spread legs and dove hungrily into her silky depths with his tongue, causing her to exclaim in delight as he found her clitoris and struck it again and again. He grunted in response but didn't pause in his ministrations when Jackson mounted him from behind, plunging in with one thrust and proceeding to ride Mulder hard with strong, deep thrusts.

The orgy went on and on, with Mulder's hunger continuing unabated. At one point Mulder was thrusting into Jackson while the college student made love to Dana, who egged them both on with wild, ecstatic cries. In the frenzy of their mindless lust, neither man was paying attention to how much time had past, when suddenly they were interrupted in their revelry by a booming voice.

"WHAT IS THIS?" Lord Skinner shouted, causing all three to jump and nearly fall off the bed. "What in the devil's name is going on here?!!!"

"My lord!" Dana exclaimed, sitting up abruptly while smoothing out her hair and giving Skinner a glowing smile.

"Dana, what have you conjured here? You tell me immediately what you think you're doing with my slaves!" Skinner thundered.

Both Mulder and Jackson looked at their master in extreme agitation. They had been so wrapped up in their pleasure, they had never even considered that Lord Skinner might come back to his room before they could make their escape.

Dana's next words only increased their dread a hundredfold. "My lord, this slave requested that I help them escape through the Cristalu Vortex. I had no intention of helping them, but I allowed them to try to bribe me with their attentions! And they both were incredible, I can assure you."

Skinner looked like he was ready to explode. "Escape? He wanted you to help him escape?"

Dana affected an innocent air. Mulder felt like strangling her. "Yes, my lord, but I could *never* do that to you!"

Lord Skinner turned to Mulder, who tried to scrabble as far away from his master as possible. "Fox, is this true?"

"I-I-I-I-" Mulder stammered.

"Never mind, I can read from your mind that it is! Even if Dana was the one who enticed you, you didn't have to agree, and you shouldn't have asked her in the first place! You have broken two rules today, my love, you never cease to amaze me. Remember 'You are not to lie with anyone besides myself or Master Krycek, unless it is our express desire that you should do so.' And, as always, 'You must under no circumstances attempt to escape. You will be severely punished for any escape attempts at all,' What do you have to say in your defense, my love?" Skinner thundered.

"She, I mean, I..." Mulder couldn't seem to get his words out. Dana twinkled mischievously.

"Chances are that I would have eventually shared you with the lovely Dana myself! But Jackson!there was no such permission given to let the blond treasure possess you, or vice versa! And to use sex as a bribe to escape! I am furious with you, my sweet, and I shall have to punish you forthwith!" Skinner exclaimed, reaching under his bed for the paddle that was always near.

Mulder immediately darted off the bed to try to make a run for the door, while Jackson cowered in the corner of the room. Skinner blocked Mulder's path and picked him up to toss him back onto the bed. He waved his hand and once more, Mulder found himself tied on his stomach to all four posts. Several pillows under his stomach left his genitals fully exposed.

"It was all her doing! She blackmailed us, you've got to believe..." Mulder tried to explain.

"How chivalrous of you, slave," Dana said sarcastically. "My lord, I suggest you paddle this slave long and hard, he seems to need a great deal of loving discipline!"

"I'll get to him in a moment's time, my beauty, don't you fret!" Skinner responded gruffly. "But I shall also deal with *you* later, so don't be too smug about it! And Jackson," the college student tried to shrink further into the corner, "Jackson shall get ten strokes before he returns to his room, where he shall stay until I release him!"

Mulder looked up to see Jackson reluctantly move to where he stood trembling in front of Skinner. It was a small satisfaction to see Skinner order him to turn around and raise the paddle high. With each blow Jackson squawked loudly, his beautiful, classically chiseled features screwed up in anguish. Since Mulder was bound to the bed, all he saw was Jackson's expression, but in his lingering passion he imagined the deep crimson blush appearing on Jackson's taut, light-skinned buttocks as Skinner swung the paddle hard, landing on Jackson's backside with a loud, smacking sound.

After Skinner was finished, he reached for the bellpull. "You will obey me in the future, I trust, my blond treasure!" he frowned. "You have gotten off easy as it's your first offense, but do not test my patience, I'm warning you!"

As Jackson quickly put on his slave garb, William and Frederick arrived to escort Jackson back to his room. The college student left without another word, eyes downcast and oblivious to their leering as he walked gingerly out of the bedchamber.

After Jackson had left the room with his guards, Skinner turned to Mulder. "And now, my pet, there is the business of punishing you! I would say thirty strokes, no less, for so blatantly disobeying me!"

Mulder pulled desperately on his bonds. "It's not fair, you hear, the advantage you have over me!"

"Oh really? If it takes an eternity of spankings to convince you that your place is by my side, I shall do it! You bring on this punishment through your own foolishness, so make no plea for leniency to me, dear Fox!" snarled Skinner.

Raising the paddle high, he brought it crashing down on Mulder's backside. Mulder yelped and tried desperately to get out of his way, but it was no use. As usual he couldn't help clenching his buttocks with each blow and shifting them to try to avoid the blows, inflaming Lord Skinner and Lady Dana even more with this display. Skinner's paddle rained down on him with loud, slapping sounds, and his buttocks soon glowed a deep, deep red.

When Skinner finally stopped, Mulder lay panting and sweating from exertion. "Do you promise to cease these escape attempts once and for all?" Skinner growled angrily.

"Go to hell!" Mulder couldn't keep himself from responding, beyond the end of his tether.

"Well! That's not the response I was hoping for!" Skinner snarled. "And what do you expect to accomplish by that remark?"

"If you excuse me, my lord," Lady Dana interrupted with a suspicious gleam in her eye, "I know how to further punish this beautiful slave without causing him more pain. I think you'll very much enjoy what I have in mind."

Skinner scowled while Mulder eyed her with dread. "And what is that, my love?"

Without another word, Lady Dana tore open a pillow and reached in to pull out several handfuls of huge feathers. "Seeing that lovely backside of his move gave me the idea, my lord, I want to see more of a performance from this spectacular creature, I think he got off too easily!"

"No! Don't!" Mulder couldn't help shouting in dismay.

Dana laughed cruelly. "We are both aware of how ticklish you are, slave! Let's see how would you enjoy this!" She threw the feathers at him, and they immediately arranged themselves all along Mulder's nude body, with high concentrations along the most sensitive areas. She took another handful and threw it onto his reddened ass. The feathers stood up on their ends and proceeded to tickle Mulder mercilessly.

"YAAAAAHHHH!" Mulder screamed, "NOOOO!"

All along his sides, in his armpits, on the soles of his feet, on his nipples and chest, along his back and the backs of his legs, the feathers tickled him. However, the absolute worst sensations were on his sore backside, highly sensitized by the brutal spanking, as the greatest number of feathers swirled in a maelstrom on each cheek. They quickly trailed down to tickle his anus, causing him to spasm uncontrollably.

"STOP IT! NO! I CAN'T STAND IT! STOP!" Mulder pleaded in hysterics. He twisted his body and pulled frantically at the restraints, ready to sell his soul to make the horrific tickling sensations cease. In spite of the torturous tickling, or maybe because of it, he was as hard as a rock.

Lord Skinner was beside himself. The sight of Mulder being tormented by the feathers was arousing enough to make him come right then and there. He gazed transfixed at Mulder writhing on the bed, flaring his nostrils like an agitated bull, trying desperately to control himself.

Dana was very much aroused as well. She planned to force Mulder to have an orgasm this way, and then she and her luscious lord would further enjoy the fruits of her labor. Perhaps he would forget about punishing her in his appreciation. She waved her hand again.

To Mulder's horror, he suddenly felt his anus dilate impossibly widely, almost as if Lord Skinner were fucking him. He clenched his buttocks desperately to close off the entrance but it was impossible. Instantly many tiny feathers made their way inside and started to tickle him mercilessly from the core of his being.

Mulder was laughing and crying at the same time, his buttocks shaking violently from the strain of trying in vain to close his opened anus. He thrust his hips forward repeatedly, trying and failing to shake loose the magical feathers. He twisted and writhed and would have had bleeding wrists and ankles if the restraints hadn't been sufficiently padded.

Mulder was on extreme sensory overload. He felt like he couldn't bear the horrendous torment another second and yet it went on and on.

Eventually Dana took pity on him and waved her hand again. Suddenly the feathers congregated all along his cock and balls as well and tickled him furiously. Feathers swirled around the head of his cock and dipped into the slit. Other feathers stroked up and down the length of his cock in long, light strokes. More feathers swirled around his balls, tickling along the edges and behind them.

It was too much for Mulder to bear. He screamed until his voice was hoarse, and then proceeded to come more forcefully than he ever could have imagined, spurting and spurting into the downy white sheets. It was the most mind-shattering orgasm he'd ever experienced, the whole of his existence rocked by its power!

Mercifully the feathers stopped after the last tremors died down. Mulder almost sank into oblivion, totally spent, when he heard Lady Dana's voice.

"So do you think he's been punished enough, my lord?" she cooed.

Without a word, Lord Skinner quickly stripped off his leather garments. He then grabbed huge handfuls of feathers from Mulder's backside and tossed them aside. He threw himself onto his slave, causing Mulder to yelp in shock and, holding his erection in one hand, rammed it in with one hard thrust. He proceeded to fuck Mulder without his usual gentleness, his manner much more characteristic of a rampaging manbeast. The wizard lord was completely out of control!

"You really can't blame him, slave," Dana volunteered, in response to Mulder's anguished grimace, watching as the great bed swayed back and forth with the force of Skinner's thrusts, "You've driven him to distraction. But don't worry, he won't hurt you. And, of course, there's always the salve!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Never play cards with a guy named Doc,   
> Never eat at a place called Mom's,   
> And never sleep with a woman   
> whose problems are bigger than your own." --Nelson Algren


	8. Chapter 8

**The Middle of the Night**    
 **Skinner's Bedchamber**    
 **Skinner's Palace**

"Slave, slave, wake up!"

Someone was jostling Mulder's arm. Someone was trying to get him to wake up when he was so tired his body felt like it was about to fall apart and crumble into the bed in absolute exhaustion.

"Go 'way!" he mumbled unhappily.

"Come now, slave! You must wake up!" said the female voice, shaking his arm even more violently.

Mulder opened one bleary eye. He saw Lady Dana frowning down at him, hair disheveled, wearing her gown again. She still looked beautiful.

"What do you want?" he groaned, wondering what else this impossible woman could require of him.

"It's not what I want, slave, now is it?" she replied crossly. "It's more what you want! Do you want to go home or not? Remember I told you that I always keep my word!"

Mulder woke up immediately. He sat up and looked at her in amazement. "Is this another trick?"

"It's not a trick, slave! Oh, you think because I revealed your plans to our lord that I betrayed you! I'm sorry to inform you that he would have read your mind as soon as he entered this room, and he would have realized your plans for escape anyway. I had to reveal our plans before he could do so, he cannot read my mind and it was fitting that he believed I did not plan to help you," said Dana.

Mulder was still suspicious. "If that was the case, what about everything that followed?"

Lady Dana's face broke into a gloating smile. "Oh, you can't blame an enchantress for her bit of fun, can you, slave? I wanted to enjoy you as much as possible, since you will be leaving our world so soon! What is wrong with that?"

Mulder was ready to howl with outrage, but she cut him off. "Come now, slave, I've cast a light sleeping spell on my lord and Master Krycek. I cannot do anything more than that, they would detect it. If you want to make your escape, you must make it now. Otherwise, Lord Skinner will awaken and there will be more hell to pay!"

That was all the incentive Mulder needed to leap out of bed and hurry to get ready. He ran to Skinner's wardrobe and started to pull out some pants. Lady Dana stopped him.

"No, slave, you must wear your garment. I am sorry, but if any of the servants are up, they will be extremely suspicious if you were to show up downstairs wearing Lord Skinner's clothing, as it is expressly forbidden you," she said, handing him the black triangle of cloth.

Mulder felt like he was going to explode. "Can't you just beam us out of here?" he whispered furiously.

Dana frowned. "No, I cannot!"

"Why not? You beamed us in!" he snarled.

"I must preserve my powers to open the vortex!" she snapped back at him. "Do you want to go home or not, slave? You are certainly raising a lot of obstacles!"

Mulder grabbed the g-string and quickly covered himself with it. Dana tied it in back for him when he fumbled with the strings. She surveyed Mulder's beautiful backside with delight, still red from Skinner's paddle. "You'd think you'd find this mode of attire more comfortable after your chastisement, dear slave!" she said, pinching his cheek hard.

Mulder jumped and stifled a yell. He turned furiously to her. "Hands off, my lady!"

"A pity!" she smirked. "Come, let us go, we must collect your blond companion. He has been locked in his room."

As they left the room, Mulder looked back to gaze upon Lord Skinner and Krycek sleeping soundly on the bed. They were sleeping naked on the huge bed, with their arms flung against each other, wearing contented expressions on their faces. Krycek had joined them the previous night soon after Lord Skinner had punished Mulder, overjoyed at the sight of the master wizard so completely aroused and so out of control. He and Skinner had taken Mulder again and again, while Mulder was forced to make love to Lady Dana, having the salve applied to him whenever he faltered.

Mulder had felt like he was losing his mind, he had never had so much sex in such a short amount of time. He had never even thought he was physically capable of it. He sighed to himself. He had mixed feelings about leaving both men, but there was no way he was going to live out his life as a slave in this medieval world. It was a good thing he was leaving anyway, before these sex maniacs succeeded in screwing him to death.

He and Lady Dana made their way into the corridor. After several turns they found Jackson's room. As they stood in front of the door to his room, Dana touched the lock. Wearing a frown on her pretty face, she concentrated hard, and very soon after that Mulder heard the click of a lock turning.

He flung open the door. Jackson lay sleeping on his pallet on the floor, his long lean-muscled limbs sprawled out in all directions. Mulder crouched down beside him and shook his arm to rouse him.

"Jackson, wake up! We're leaving!" he urged in a loud whisper.

Jackson stirred and groaned. Opening his eyes, he smiled ecstatically once he realized Mulder was leaning over him.

"Fox!" he cried out happily, wrapping his arms around Mulder and dragging him down onto his pallet.

"NO! Let go, you idiot!" Mulder protested angrily, struggling to free himself as Jackson pinned him to the bed and started kissing his neck. Jeez, what was in the water here?

Surprisingly, Dana intervened. "No, Jackson, this is not the time for such pleasures!" she cooed, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Much as I'd love to stay here and join you both in your delicious lovemaking, against my better judgment I am helping you escape back through the vortex. We must hurry or my lord will awaken and foil our plans."

Jackson looked at her in astonishment. He quickly disengaged himself from Mulder and jumped up from the pallet.

He reached down and pulled a peeved Mulder to his feet. "We'll have to continue this later, babe!" he smirked. Mulder merely snorted sarcastically in response.

They quickly left the room and hurried down the corridor. As they marched down the long, ornate staircase, a man's voice stopped them in their tracks.

"Where are you going, if you don't mind my asking, my lady?" William greeted them, stepping out from the shadows.

Mulder swallowed nervously. Of all the servants for them to encounter, William was the worst. He leered at Mulder as he awaited Dana's reply.

"We are going for a moonlight swim, if it's any of your business, William!" Dana huffed, without missing a beat. Mulder was impressed at how convincingly she uttered this lie.

"At three bells past midnight? And why isn't our gracious lord joining you?" William frowned.

"He is asleep, the poor dear. The Ondolee leaders have really taxed his strength and patience with their endless demands. I'm afraid you won't see quite the level of, um, activity in this household once he is crowned ruler, William!" Dana twinkled at him.

"HA! That's a good one, my lady! What, are you and Master Krycek and his gorgeous slave going into exile afterwards? Well, go on with you, there's not much moonlight left for you to enjoy," William chuckled, immensely amused. "I must say, you've brightened my nightwatch with your charming sense of humor, along with your other attributes!"

The group didn't need to be told twice. They marched quickly down the staircase and out the palace doors.

As they left the palace, Dana led them in the direction of the stables. "We must leave on that fabulous creature that Lord Skinner rode to rescue you from Draco's castle, slave. It is the fastest means of transportation to the Cristalu Vortex opening. I'll return her to the stables once you are gone."

Mulder looked at her, impressed. "You can ride a winged horse?"

"There are many things I can do which you have not been privy to, slave!" Dana huffed. "If you bothered to stay here longer, I could show you!"

She opened the stable door. Melophomene whinnied softly and shook her head as they entered the stable.

In the moonlight he was able to further examine the strange beast. He would never get used to seeing such an exotic creature, the stuff of myths and dreams. She was huge, and her wing span looked like it could reach twenty feet across when the creature was in flight. The wings were covered with heavy, white feathers. Feathers. Mulder shuddered at the memory.

Dana grabbed her bridle and mounted the horse, gesturing for Mulder and Jackson to seat themselves behind her. Melophomene pranced restlessly and snorted loudly once they were seated on her, and Dana surprised Mulder by petting the horse and speaking to her in a soothing tone. Her tenderness calmed the horse, but the words were spoken in a language that Mulder didn't recognize.

"Hold on tight, slave. You too, Jackson! I am a good rider, but it may be a bit of a challenge for me to concentrate on keeping you on the horse while managing her," Dana said.

Mulder held her firmly around the waist, and he felt Jackson do the same with him. Dana waved her hand and the doors to the stable opened. She directed Melophomene towards the open doors, and the horse galloped through them flapping her great wings.

Mulder gulped nervously as he felt them rise into the air. No matter how many times he was on this horse, it was still a bizarre feeling to be riding a flying creature. He felt Jackson grip his waist to steady himself.

"Cool!" Jackson exclaimed. "This feels just like hang gliding!"

"Let's just hope we have a better statistical chance of getting there without breaking our necks!" Mulder retorted dryly.

"Ssshhh, slaves, you're ruining my concentration!" Dana warned. She didn't want them distracting her, it was hard for her to guide the horse and use her powers to keep them steady on her back as they flew through the night.

It was a beautiful, clear night. A cool wind rustled the leaves of the trees below. Sparkling stars shone overhead, and as Mulder looked up into the night sky, he noticed two pale moons positioned side by side. He marveled at their pearly white sheen, so still and lovely. They were very close together.

"They were just over each other, slave, we missed the opening. If you made your escape last night or the night before, Cristalu would still have been open. However, I can open it again for you, so have no fear." Dana said, reading his thoughts.

She guided Melophomene towards a clearing in the woods. The horse held out her wings and sailed gracefully down to the ground, landing with a slight thump. Dana, Mulder, and Jackson immediately dismounted.

The enchantress looked up into the night sky. She could tell exactly from how the moons were positioned where Cristalu should be. She turned and walked about a meter from where they were standing, with Mulder and Jackson trailing behind her.

Once they were at the designated spot, she turned to face them. "I have conjured a bit of rope to keep the two of you together. I have the greatest confidence in my ability to send you both home, but I do not know what would happen should the force of the vortex separate you. You could end up in wildly different areas. It is best that you stay together, so I shall tie you to each other."

Mulder was so eager to get home, he would have agreed to go completely nude. "Okay, fine, tie us together! Let's get this show on the road already!"

"Don't be so impatient, slave! Wasn't it lack of forethought that ended you up here in the first place? Jackson, hold still, I shall tie you both around the waist," Dana huffed, tying the rope in solid knots.

Once tied together, Mulder faced a smirking Jackson, who immediately wrapped his arms around Mulder's waist.

"We have to keep meeting like this, Agent Mulder!" he beamed at Mulder, arching an eyebrow.

Mulder rolled his eyes in exasperation. However corny the college student's sense of humor was, the feeling of Jackson's erection rubbing against him was causing an answering echo in his own groin, convincing Mulder that they were leaving Ondolee not a moment too soon. He groaned inwardly at the thought of having any more sex with Jackson or anyone else.

"Now, slaves, it has been a lovely experience knowing you both! I do hope you will remember me fondly, as I will most certainly remember you both with the utmost adoration!" Lady Dana purred. She quickly kissed both Mulder and then Jackson on the lips. She then retreated to over twelve feet from where the two men stood.

Holding up both her hands, Dana recited an incantation. Large white bolts sparked from her hands up into the sky. The night sky grew dark and thunderous, and a great howling wind started to churn the air. Mulder tensed and reflexively gripped Jackson's waist. Within seconds the air around them started to whip into a frenzy. The two men started spinning rapidly, shouting and clutching each other, frantic as they felt themselves being lifted up into the air.

Mulder heard Jackson shout, "Fox! We're going up... " and then everything around him went black as they were sucked up into the Cristalu Vortex.

Back down on the ground, Dana applauded her success with glee. She was greatly pleased, as it was the first time she had ever tried to open the vortex.

"Oh yes, I am good!" she gloated, turning towards Melophomene. She was planning on returning to Skinner's palace. Her lord would be unhappy with the loss of his favorite slave, but she was sure that she could more than make it up to him. Thoughts of the myriad ways in which she would do so made her smile lasciviously to herself as she untied and mounted Melophomene, guiding the winged horse towards home. ****

 **Bell Rock, Arizona**    
 **7:55 AM**    
 **8 Days Since Mulder's Disappearance**

Dana Scully stood impatiently with local Sedona police along the side of Route 179, approximately half a mile from where Mulder was last seen. She had conducted a search for the missing agent and college student for over a week now with Sheriff Parker and local law enforcement, and neither Mulder or Jackson had turned up, nor had any clues as to the cause of their disappearance.

"This is patently impossible," she growled impatiently at Sheriff Parker for the hundredth time that week. "He couldn't have just vanished into thin air! There's nothing, no body, no evidence, nothing!"

"Agent Scully, I agree with you!" Sheriff Parker replied. "We are trying the best we can! Now, perhaps we can go over again what happened that morning..."

"I've told you and told you, he disappeared in the middle of some sort of wind tunnel! But it was unbelievable, he couldn't have just disappeared into some hole in the air!"

"Well, it seems that your story matches that of Gregory Hicks, Ms. Scully. Now, it would seem to me that... "

"Yes, yes, I know, we're dealing with unexplained phenomena!" she snapped. She regretted being rude to the sheriff, who was kindly and concerned, but she was extremely upset about Mulder's disappearance and the heat was getting to her.

Suddenly her cell phone rang. She took it out and fairly barked "Scully!" into it.

"Things not going well, Agent Scully?"

It was A.D. Skinner. She had convinced him to fly out to Arizona and join her in her search. She breathed a sigh of relief. At least he was a familiar voice. "No sir, not at all. Our search revealed nothing as to how either Mulder or Jackson Thomas disappeared! We have no body, no evidence of foul play, nothing!"

Skinner sighed. He had barely slept all week from first learning of Mulder's disappearance. It had taken all his self-control to not immediately rush out to Arizona on the first available flight.

"Well, I have some good news, I think, maybe it will cheer you up. Agents Spender and Fowley are no longer on the X-files. You and Mulder are back in charge, with me as your supervisor. I was in Kersh's office this morning, Spender resigned and requested that you two take over, and it's now official. Agent Spender is missing, actually, our lab is going over the office to see if foul play was involved," Skinner said. He was now glad that he had stayed in D.C. so as to not jeopardize this important decision.

Scully bit her lip as tears sprang to her eyes. Mulder would have been thrilled at this news. She hoped against hope that he would still return to them, and then they could celebrate.

"Agent Scully, are you there?" Skinner said agitatedly.

"Yes sir, I was just thinking how happy this would have made Mulder!" Scully sighed.

"How happy it will *make* Mulder, Agent Scully! The jury's still out on that one, understand?" Skinner responded gruffly. When she didn't reply, he continued. "I'm at Phoenix airport right now. I just need to pick up my rental, and I should be out at Bell Rock within an hour or so. Can you bear up okay until then?"

"Yes sir," she responded just a bit dolefully. She had been functioning on little sleep and adrenaline for over a week now, what difference would one more hour make?

As she hung up the phone, she turned to see Jackson Thomas' parents and sister coming towards her. Jackson's mother Samhara was tall and graceful, a woman in her mid-forties, beautiful with blond hair, high cheekbones and dark brows. Her husband was a gangly, affable man with a graying beard and longish hair. The sister was a pretty blond teenager with the obligatory pierced nose and foul expression on her face.

"Agent Scully, you're out here again so early? It won't do your partner any good at all if you wear yourself down to a frazzle!" Samhara chided her warmly.

"I need to be here, Mrs. Thomas, in case they find anything, " Scully explained. She really admired how Samhara Thomas was holding up. She carried herself as if she were drawing on inner reserves of strength. Even with Mulder missing, Scully felt crazed, she had no idea how she would feel if her son had disappeared.

"Of course she needs to be here, Mom, don't be so stupid! Is she supposed to leave it up to those idiot police to find them?" Jackson's sister scoffed angrily.

Jackson's father frowned at her. "Watch your tone, Bliss. Your mother is just expressing concern for Agent Scully's well-being. Perhaps if you concerned yourself with people other than yourself..."

"I am concerned! I'm concerned Jackson's missing, I keep saying so! What, you don't think I care about my own brother?" Bliss snapped.

Samhara wore a stern expression on her face. "Certainly, if you call attending all night raves in the desert expressing concern!"

"At least I'm not moping around the house like you!" she retorted.

"It's not moping, it's called meditating. Agent Scully, think long and hard before you have children!" Samhara sighed. She actually couldn't blame Bliss, she realized that tragic circumstances tend to bring out the worst in people, and at the very least make them more "like themselves." Bliss was a piece of work under the best of circumstances, and Samhara knew she had been very stressed since her brother disappeared. To get her to talk about or show her feelings, however, was another story.

Scully nodded abstractly in response, looking at her watch. As much as she had had her doubts about Skinner in the past, she longed for the authoritative comfort of his presence. Perhaps he would uncover something she'd missed in her search of the area or have some new ideas on where to look.

All she could do was hope.

 **Bell Rock, Arizona**    
 **9:15 AM**

Skinner pulled up in his rented Pontiac. As he got out of the car, he surveyed the area. Law enforcement officials were combing the region, wearing gloves to pick up any available evidence, and he spotted two police dogs over by some parked police cars.

Scully saw him immediately and ran over to where he stood, with a man who looked like the local sheriff following quickly behind her.

"Sir, this is Sheriff Parker. Sheriff, I'd like you to meet A.D. Skinner, my supervisor from the F.B.I." Scully quickly introduced them.

"Nice to meet you, Sheriff," Skinner shook hands warmly. "Quite a situation we have here, don't we?"

"Yes indeed, Mr. Skinner. I suppose you could say we have our very own 'Picnic at Bell Rock'!" Sheriff Parker replied dryly.

"Well, let's hope Agent Mulder and Jackson Thomas are luckier than those schoolgirls were!" Skinner sighed. He was deeply worried about Mulder but was determined not to show it.

Suddenly they heard a girl's scream. Samhara and Sonny Thomas, who had been sitting a few feet away, suddenly leaped to their feet.

"That was Bliss!" Samhara exclaimed, her face drained of color.

Skinner, Scully, and Sheriff Parker ran in the direction of the girl's scream, which they judged to originate from Bell Rock. The Thomases followed quickly behind.

Seconds later they found Bliss standing over the prone bodies of both Mulder and Jackson, with torn bits of rope lying around and between them on the ground. Bliss was shaking as she stood over them.

"Are they dead?" she sobbed, as white as a sheet.

Scully immediately checked both of them. The two men were unconscious but at first glance seemed to have suffered no injuries.

"They're both alive but I need to check them further to see if they've suffered any injuries, such as in a fall," she told the anxious group. "I'll go and get my bag."

Before she could get up to go, however, Mulder's eyelids fluttered. His hazel eyes opened and focused immediately on Scully crouching beside him.

"Scully!" he croaked happily, recognizing her instantly.

"Mulder!" she cried, "Oh, thank God you're okay!" She threw her arms around him in joy.

"Yes, Agent Mulder, I needn't tell you that you scared the bejesus out of us as usual!" Skinner exclaimed in a booming voice. He was ecstatic to see Mulder again and longed to gather him into his arms.

The sound of Skinner's voice made Mulder freeze. He peered up at the A.D., standing off to Scully's side, and gulped nervously. "Sir? You're... you're here too?" he stammered.

Before Skinner could reply, Jackson moaned and stirred. His parents had joined the group in the meantime, and Samhara gasped when she saw her son open his eyes.

"Jackson honey, are you all right?" she asked anxiously.

"Mom? Is it really you?" Jackson queried in disbelief.

"Yes, it's me, sweetheart! Thank God, you made it back to us! I knew you would!" she exclaimed, throwing herself on him, crying and laughing. Sonny and Bliss Thomas joined in, all of them hugging and kissing Jackson, crying tears of joy at seeing their son and brother again when they had feared he was gone forever.

Scully went and got her bag as the Thomases were conducting their reunion with their son. When she returned, she checked over both of them. Aside from a few scratches, the two men seemed to have suffered no injuries.

"So, gentlemen," she said, after performing her preliminary physical, "what in the world happened to the two of you?"

There was a silence as Mulder and Jackson looked at each other. Mulder bit his lip and didn't meet Scully's eyes, deciding to field her question. "It's a long story, Scully, and we're both exhausted. Can't it wait until later?"

"You completely vanish for over a week, and you want it to wait until later?" Skinner bellowed. "Do you realize how worried we... er, Agent Scully has been, Mulder? This lady has stayed in Sedona combing the countryside for you in one of the largest missing person searches this region has ever seen! She has been functioning on overdrive for over a week now! Now, we want to know what happened to both of you, and we want to know now!"

"Yeah, Jackson! Where the hell did you go?" Bliss piped up.

Jackson was staring at Skinner in shock. Mulder nudged him, but Jackson blurted out "My lord, you followed us here! Don't take us back, I mean, it was great and everything, but my family's here, Lord Skinner, you can't possibly want to separate... "

"What the blazes is that young man talking about?" Skinner exclaimed in amazement. He wondered if the boy was suffering some sort of shock, but he had referred to him as Skinner, which was doubly puzzling. How had he known Skinner's last name when they hadn't even been introduced yet?

To top it off, Mulder's face turned beet red. He struggled to get the words out. "It's nothing, sir, a hallucination from the heat of the desert, I'm sure."

"But he... "

"Shut up, Jackson!" Mulder exhorted, jabbing him hard in the side with his elbow. Jackson's mouth snapped shut.

The group looked at each other in astonishment.

"Jeez, this really takes the cake!" Bliss said scornfully, "You two guys disappear for over a week and then drop in here looking like you've escaped from 'The Full Monty,' and you won't tell us what happened? Are you nuts?"

Jackson's spine arched up in irritation. It didn't take much for his little sister to annoy him. "Get off my case, will you, Bliss? Hey, I've got a great idea, why don't you do us all a favor and connect your nose ring to your tongue ring?"

"Oh yeah? Well, the best part of you ran down your mother's leg!"

"Bliss!" shouted Sonny Thomas, as Samhara gasped in shock at their daughter's rude behavior, "I'm sorry, folks, I think my kids are a bit overexcited. Come on Jackson, let's get out of here, I'm sure the police will let you go home and relax before you have to answer any questions."

Sheriff Parker spoke up, having joined the group a few minutes ago. "Yes, Sonny, I think we need to get a statement from the boy on what happened to him. You'd better bring him round to the station later today, if possible."

"We'll be there, Sheriff." With that, the Thomases stood up to leave.

Jackson turned to Mulder. "Thanks so much, Agent Mulder! Will you be at the station when I go in?" he asked shyly.

Mulder sighed. "Probably, Jackson!" He doubted he was going anywhere soon, he was sure there were going to be plenty of questions on their disappearance.

He mused on how much to tell them. He was never one to shy away from the facts, which was one of the reasons that he had been branded a nut and an outcast by the FBI. However, there was more at stake in this situation, he had no desire to let the A.D. know what had happened to him in Ondolee, and who had done it. The thought of A.D. Skinner knowing that Mulder had been sexually enslaved by his double in an alternate universe was enough to make his skin crawl.

The ride back to the motel with the two of them in Skinner's rental car was spent in a tense silence. When Mulder had disappeared, Scully had been able to obtain a spare set of keys for their rental car from Alamo, so she planned to meet them back at the motel. Mulder seemed reluctant to travel back to the motel with the A.D., but Scully needed to finish up some paperwork with the sheriff before she left.

Skinner was completely bewildered by his favorite agent's behavior. When he had told Mulder about the FBI's decision to put him and Scully back on the X-files under Skinner, instead of being overjoyed, the agent had paled considerably. He had gulped nervously and stammered about how wonderful it was, but his edgy behavior had completely belied his words.

Skinner resolved to find out why Mulder was exhibiting this odd behavior, no matter how long it took. Sooner or later, Mulder would tell him where he had gone, what had happened to him there, and why he was so skittish around the A.D. The stunning agent was no match for one A.D. Walter Skinner, who was bound and determined to find out the truth! ****

 **The Same Morning**    
 **Ondolee**    
 **Lord Skinner's Palace**

Lord Skinner and Master Krycek had spent the better part of the morning frantically searching the palace and its grounds for Mulder, using their powers and all of the servants. They had awoken from a deep sleep to find that their favorite slave had vanished, along with Jackson Thomas, who had been secured in his bedroom.

William had been woken up to testify that both slaves had left the palace with Lady Dana in the middle of the night. He was extremely contrite about allowing them to leave, but he had been sure that the enchantress would be powerful enough to keep the slaves from escaping.

"Where could she possibly have taken them?" Lord Skinner growled in fury. He was well aware of how willful his seductive love could be but he still couldn't believe that she would steal his slaves.

"My lord, you must do something about Dana! She is the very essence of foul mischief! How about sealing her in ice for the next one hundred years?" Krycek ranted. His heart pounded with fury and despair at losing Fox, whom he loved to distraction.

"Now, Alex, don't jump to any conclusions! Perhaps she did take them out for a swim and got detained, somehow. We must give my dearest the benefit of the doubt before we know the facts!" Lord Skinner reasoned with him.

They were interrupted by Edward, who appeared at the door with a glum expression on his face. "My lord, Lady Dana has returned."

Before Skinner could reply, Dana burst into the room looking very excited. She stopped as soon as she saw the glowering expressions on Skinner and Krycek's faces.

"My lord, is something the matter?" she asked sweetly.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH FOX?" Skinner bellowed, causing Dana to jump.

"I have sent him home, my lord, along with his blond companion," Dana responded primly.

"YOU DID WHAT!" Skinner shouted.

Dana yawned, opening the vortex had taken a lot out of her. The servants around her were quaking in their boots. "I said, my lord, that I sent them home!"

"He is my slave!" Lord Skinner ranted. "Dana, you had no right to take him from me, and you know that!"

"He would never have been happy here with you, and *you* know that! My lord, he belongs with his people! It is fine for him to be a plaything once in awhile, but he belongs with his own!"

"He belongs here with me!" Skinner shouted.

"My lord, you must be reasonable. He is the savior of his people, he will save his people from the creatures from the stars. Now, how can he do that if he stays here as your plaything?" she sighed.

"Really? And how do you know that, mighty enchantress?" Skinner bellowed angrily.

"I had a vision!"

"Oh, you and your visions!" Skinner scoffed sarcastically.

"No, do not scorn me! The creatures from the stars, he is the one to fight them, to prevent them from conquering his world. This is no small matter, my lord... "

"Creatures from the stars! Will you listen to yourself!" Skinner shouted furiously.

"He is the one who will stop them from taking over! As lovely a creature as Fox Mulder is, and you must know that I am certainly the first to admit that, I cannot see keeping him here when countless innocents would suffer so. Besides, he could never be happy here, living as a slave. I did the right thing in sending him home!"

"How do you know he could never be happy?" Skinner ranted. "You are a thief, my dear! You could have come to me with these worries *before* you freed him! As it is, if you're so worried, I will travel to his world and rectify this trivial situation with the alien creatures, and *then* I will bring Fox home!"

"You can't... "

"Oh, just watch me, my love! Fox is mine, and no one shall take him from me. You shall stay here and rule in my absence, a skill that should come naturally to you given the strong interest you take in affairs that do not concern you! I shall bring Fox back to our world and then collapse the vortex. Our world will then become his permanent home!" Skinner declared emphatically.

Dana was stunned. She had underestimated Lord Skinner's passion for the pretty slave, incredibly enticing though he was. She looked at Lord Skinner and had no doubts that he was telling the truth. His expression told her it would be useless to argue with him.

Still, Lord Skinner's obsession astounded her. "You would close the gateway between our worlds just to keep Fox here as your pleasure slave?"

Krycek spoke up for the first time since Dana entered the room. "My lord, that is an *excellent* idea! He will be trapped here once and for all! At long last Fox Mulder will truly and completely be ours!"

Dana whirled towards him in a fury. "Be still, knave!"

Krycek immediately saw red. "My lord, I strongly urge you to do something about this meddlesome wench or I will! Dana, how would you enjoy a nice icy bed for the next century?"

"Enough, you two. Alex, you'll do nothing of the kind, seal her in ice for 100 years indeed," Skinner frowned. "We shall deal with her when we return from our journey. Yes, Alex, you'll be coming with me. I'm going to Fox's world to retrieve him, and I want you to accompany me."

Krycek felt a surge of pure joy. To see Fox again, to hold him and love him, just when he'd thought he'd lost him forever. He could scarcely believe it.

He eyed Dana, who stood tense and angry with her arms folded and her lips pursed together. His hands itched to take her over his knee and spank her. "And what about this traitorous wench?"

"As I said, she'll stay here to rule in my absence. With assistance from my fellow wizards, Ondolee will be well-protected. However, I shall attend to her chastisement when we return with Fox, don't you worry!" Skinner replied bluntly.

Dana stood silent, glaring at them both. Finally she spoke. "You disappoint me, my lord," she said in an aggrieved tone. "As the ruler of Ondolee, I was hoping that you would govern from a place somewhere north of your belt!"

"I am too much of a gentleman, my sweet, to reply to that statement! That will be enough from you, believe me, Alex's suggestion appears very tempting, right now!" Skinner growled angrily. "If you refuse to protect Ondolee in my absence, or attempt to follow us, I'll promise you that you will regret it. Remember that I helped you nurture those wondrous powers of yours, and I can easily take them away as well. Yes, I would do such a thing, my enchantress, and you would be lost as a mere mortal again. Do not push me, Dana my love, I warn you!"

Lady Dana snapped her mouth closed at Skinner's threat. She glared at Krycek, who sneered back at her. She realized she was beaten, at least, for now.

Finally she spoke, wearing a conciliatory expression on her pretty face. "My lord, I hope you have a pleasant journey, and I wish you luck in finding Fox if that is what you truly want! Believe me when I tell you that I shall sleep well these nights, awaiting your return!"

Skinner merely grunted angrily in response. He pushed past his errant lover and made his way upstairs to his bed chamber. There was much to do and research to complete before he traveled through the vortex to retrieve his Fox, and he didn't intend to waste another valuable minute. ****

 **Kachina Motor Lodge**    
 **Sedona, Arizona**    
 **5 PM**

"Mulder, aren't you done packing yet?" Scully chided. "We don't want to miss our plane!"

"Scully, I'm running on empty here, give me a break!" Mulder sighed, wearily throwing clothes into his suitcase. He was completely exhausted, having spent most of the afternoon at the Sedona police station, fielding questions.

He had spoken privately with Sheriff Parker and opted for the truth, describing what happened to him in a few cursory details. It had been a difficult interview, but the sheriff was warm and supportive, promising to not publicize his story. Most importantly, the man believed him.

"Who knows, Agent Mulder? You and Jackson disappeared through the Bell Rock Vortex in exactly the same manner! As I recall saying to you and Agent Scully when you first got here, we don't know everything about all natural phenomena, do we?" Sheriff Parker reasoned.

"I guess not, Sheriff," Mulder sighed. "Though traveling to alternate universes was not what I had in mind when you made that statement! How are you going to keep folks away from there?"

"I'll issue an avalanche warning, have Bob, my deputy, post signs and maybe barriers all around the site of the vortex. Anything less than that will only attract more visitors, ready for a true Sedona vortex experience!" the sheriff said with a smile.

Mulder marveled at the man's ingenuity. Then again, how many sites had he passed that were labeled off limits by the government for reasons totally different than what was claimed?

The interview had been interrupted when Jackson Thomas appeared at the sheriff's door. "Agent Mulder! I'm so glad I got to see you before you leave!"

"Yeah, Jackson, betcha glad we made it back here in one piece!" Mulder responded affably. He was so relieved to be home that he was inclined to feel generous towards the smitten college student.

"Yes I am, but what's really great is my parents told me that Georgetown Law School called while I was away! I was wait-listed and got in! Isn't that great? I'm going to DC, we'll be neighbors!" Jackson beamed.

Mulder's expression froze. Jackson Thomas was going to DC?

Jackson smirked at Mulder's reaction. "Oh, come on, Agent Mulder, don't you want to give me a tour of Quantico? I can't wait! Don't worry about giving me your phone number, I'm sure there aren't too many Fox Mulders at the FBI!" He punched Mulder affectionately in the shoulder. "It'll be great, buddy!"

As Jackson left, the sheriff seemed amused. "I gather it wasn't too easy being around our star athlete?"

"That's an understatement!" Mulder growled, cursing silently. He had thought he'd seen the last of the oversexed college student but with typical Mulder luck it appeared that they were now going to be in the same city!

Mulder was startled out of his reverie by the sound of Scully's voice. "Mulder, are you sure you're okay? Why won't you tell me what happened?"

Mulder heaved a sigh. "Because you won't believe me, you never do!"

"Try me. Come on, I was out there scorching my butt off all week and scared to death I'd never see you again, the least you can do is tell me what happened!" Scully pleaded

Mulder looked at her, blue eyes wide with concern. He took a deep breath and exhaled. "All right. I was sent into another world, where there were people who looked just like people here, but they weren't the same people. Jackson and I were captured and sold as slaves to... you're going to love this... Lord Skinner, who looked just like A.D. Skinner, and an Alex Krycek who looked like our Alex Krycek!"

Scully looked at him expressionless. When she didn't say anything at all, Mulder got worried. "Scully?"

She burst into hysterics. "That's the funniest thing I've ever heard! God, Mulder, can't you come up with anything better than that?"

"I'm telling you the truth!" Mulder said angrily. "Where did you think I was, on vacation? C'mon, Scully, the sheriff believed me!"

"A sheriff who called you here *especially* because you have so much expertise in unexplained phenomena! No offense, Mulder, but using Sheriff Parker to back you up is a little thin!" Scully snorted.

"All right, so I'm lying! How come you never believe me? You said yourself you saw me disappear!" Mulder exclaimed.

Scully thought for a minute. She had indeed seen Mulder disappear, and she'd searched with the police officers for days with no success.

She sighed to herself. Along with alien abduction, extraterrestrial DNA, implants, government experimentation and conspiracies and everything else in the X-files, she now had to contend with alternate realities.

She put her hand on his shoulder. "Did you tell Skinner about this?"

"No, Scully, and I don't intend to! He thinks he's going to get it out of me, but I remember what happened to me after my little experience with Pinkus! I'll be damned if I let him commit me again! Plus it's goddamn humiliating what happened to me at his double's hands!"

Scully was worried. "That bad, huh?"

"Yep, unbelievable! And that Jackson! Talk about your horny college boys! I'm just glad he's over age!" Mulder retorted, picking up his maps and tossing them into the suitcase.

"You were there too, Scully, really hot to trot," Mulder sighed. "Everyone was after my ass, it was about as alternate a reality as you can get!"

Scully's mouth twitched. The man was unbelievably dense, at least that hadn't changed. "Poor Mulder. Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really. Skinner's sitting with us on the plane. He's out for blood, I can tell, he's got that bulldog expression of his. He's determined to get it out of me, no matter what it takes. All I've said to him is 'I refuse to answer on the grounds that it may incriminate me.' Do you think he'll accept that, knowing Skinner?" Mulder snorted.

"Maybe we can come up with something, we've done it before!" Scully said thoughtfully.

"That'd be great! I guess we've faced tougher challenges. It has to be a good one, that'd explain how I got sucked up into a vortex and reappeared eight days later dressed like I stepped out of the pages of an International Male catalog!" Mulder sighed. He closed and picked up his packed suitcase.

"Okay, well, since you're riding with me to the airport, let's think up something, it shouldn't be too tough. How about you got blown away in a windstorm and held captive for a week by a bunch of oversexed mountain men?" Scully smirked, lifting her suitcase and going out the door.

Mulder snorted. "Too obvious!"

"How about... "

"Save it for the car ride, Scully, we've got over an hour!" Mulder sighed, as he followed her out the motel room door.

Bell Rock, Arizona   
Midnight

The blue moon shone brightly over the still Sedona canyon. A warm wind blew faintly along the dusty Rte. 179, and in the distance the nattering of coyotes could be heard. A whiskered screech owl spotted a field mouse scampering along the side of the road. It sailed down to pounce on the creature, emitting high-pitched boos as it attacked its prey.

All at once, the wind gathered steam and started to churn rapidly in front of Bell Rock. The air swished and swirled in a circular motion, and the faint forms of two men could be seen in its midst. Their figures solidified as the force of the whirling wind grew stronger, fairly howling in its strength, as it churned and blew around the dusty road.

Suddenly the wind ceased, and two men remained in the wake of the now quiescent windstorm. Lord Skinner looked around at his surroundings and nodded agreeably at Krycek. Their transport through the Cristalu Vortex had been a success.

"Here we are, Alex!" he exulted. "Right near Sedona, Arizona, from where our sweet Fox first ventured. Quite a dry and dastardly place, from the looks of it!"

"Indeed, my lord!" Krycek agreed. "Such a barren place for our luscious Fox to have come from! Though I daresay he originated from a city called Washington, D.C., not this dry desert."

"You are correct, my boy, what a memory. It will be a nice challenge for us to find that egregious place. A veritable den of iniquity, if Fox's memories are to be believed!" Skinner sighed.

"Won't he be surprised to see us!" Krycek chortled maliciously. He could just imagine the expression on Mulder's face when he realized that he and Lord Skinner had traveled through the vortex to recapture him.

"Yes, Alex, he will most certainly be surprised!" Lord Skinner smiled. "It is imperative that we dress for the part."

He waved his hand, and Krycek suddenly found himself outfitted in a black leather jacket and jeans. Lord Skinner waved his hand again, and he himself appeared dressed in a conservative dark suit and tie.

He shifted his shoulders uncomfortably. "Such absurd and confining attire, how can the man stand it!"

"This jacket is not made for this heat, my lord!"

"Take it off then, until we arrive at our destination. You know very well that is what Fox's Alex Krycek wears. The element of surprise, Alex, is of foremost importance in this mission!" Skinner declared emphatically.

Krycek reflected for a moment. "It would be very funny if we met up with our counterparts!" he said with a wry grin.

"It would be disastrous, and you know it! It is vital that we not let that happen." Skinner admonished him.

Krycek shrugged. "I was just thinking that perhaps I would gift him with the return of his arm, if he was a good boy, that is!"

"You have a point. Or maybe I should remove one of yours, so Fox would not be able to tell the difference."

When Krycek paled, Lord Skinner chuckled reassuringly. "I am jesting, my young friend. Just keep that black glove on your hand, and keep it very still. I want to have to warn you only once!"

"Yes, my lord," Krycek responded glumly.

The two men started walking down the long highway. It was miles to Sedona, but several cars and a truck drove past them, and Lord Skinner was certain one would stop for them eventually. If not, he would use his power to make one stop.

As they walked, Lord Skinner mused on how much he missed his Fox and what he would do once he found him. He chuckled as he imagined the look of shock on his slave's gorgeous face when he realized that Lord Skinner had come after him. He longed to be able to touch and kiss those beautiful full lips, to run his hands through the lush hair and down the elegant back, to stroke the long, lean-muscled legs once more. He wanted to be able to run his lips and tongue over every centimeter of his slave's fine body, to taste his slave's scrumptious cock again and again, to bare that luscious, firm backside, squeezing and spanking the supple globes in punishment until Fox was so red that he wouldn't be able to sit down for days.to take him again and again, until his precious pet cried out for mercy, and then to show him none, to show Fox that Lord Skinner was his master, and his only master, now and for the rest of his days.

Yes, Lord Skinner wanted to do all these things, and he rarely if ever denied himself. He would do them all once he got to Washington, D.C., as soon as he got his hands on Fox Mulder, never to let him go and to take him back to Ondolee once and for all time.

He could hardly wait.

The End??

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Or sleep I now and think I hear all this?   
> What error drives our eyes and ears amiss? - Comedy of Errors
> 
> Thanks for all your support, folks, this foray into the world of X-files slash has been an absolute BLAST!!!
> 
> Wonder what happened to Lord Skinner in his attempts to recapture his errant slave? You can find the sequel 'Charade' [here](http://www.ditb.org/terma/blue/charade1.htm)


End file.
